


Past Imperfect

by gmariam



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Christmas, Fix-It, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It, Romance, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-03 14:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8716999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gmariam/pseuds/gmariam
Summary: Ianto Jones knows that working for Torchwood means the impossible is always possible. It's Christmas Eve, he's chasing a Rift opening, and he shouldn't be surprised to see Jack Harkness looking up him from the ground with a broad grin, but he is. Sometimes even Torchwood surprises Ianto Jones.





	1. Chapter 1

1.

Ianto Jones knows that working for Torchwood means the impossible is always possible, strange and unusual is quite normal and common for them, and broken is often sublimely beautiful.

In other words, weird shit happens. It's Owen's favorite phrase, and Ianto once had it printed on a button with the Torchwood logo to add to the doctor's coat collection.

At first, those strange and unusual things only happened to the others, because he wasn't out in the field as much. Though he'd certainly had his own strange, unusual, and even impossible things to deal with back at the Hub, including a pet pteranodon. As he'd started to become more involved in the active side of cases—as opposed to cleaning them up and filing them in the archives—he'd learned firsthand how strange and unusual Torchwood could be.

He's seen fairies and dragons. He's watched a man grow tentacles. He's met time travelers, aliens, clones, and a ghost. He's become invisible, once gained the ability to speak in different languages, and set foot on an alien planet. Two of his coworkers have died and come back to life, one semi-permanently.

And of course there's his immortal boss and lover, who dies on a fairly regular basis and gasps back to life looking for something to eat and a quick shag, though never in any predictable order. Jack is the most unusual man Ianto has ever met, the epitome of the impossible becoming possible, as well as someone so broken he's beautiful.

Given Torchwood's consistently bad timing when it comes to major crises, it isn't that strange for Ianto to be running through an alley on the afternoon of Christmas Eve chasing down some sort of Rift flutter. At least, that's what Tosh is calling it, as it hasn't quite opened yet, but keeps teasing at it in a major way. She's fairly certain it will happen soon, only it keeps jumping around, sending him and Gwen running in separate directions in the hope that they won't miss it. Whatever it is.

It also isn't unusual for him to be the one to find it, as more often than not his luck ends up dumping him in the middle of a group of snarling Weevils, or throwing him into a tank full of alien jellyfish. Or he ends up getting caught, getting injured, or getting left behind, sometimes all at once. So running into the Rift flutter as he bursts around a corner isn't unusual at all; he's just thankful he doesn't tumble in.

The Rift flutter is beautiful, as so much of what they see tends to be, until it tries to bite your face off or fling you to another planet. A pinprick of rainbow colored light, it grows before him, expanding and undulating, throwing off sparkles and glitter like a disco ball in a drag bar. A vaguely humanoid form begins to appear, a shadow in the light, until with a loud bang and a burst of energy, the rainbow spits out something that rolls over the ground and lands lifelessly before him. Something wearing a grey RAF greatcoat complete with Group Captain stripes. Something with floppy brown hair. Something that flails back to life with a familiar gasp.

Ianto shouldn't be surprised to see Jack Harkness looking up him from the ground with a broad grin, but he is. Sometimes even Torchwood surprises Ianto Jones.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short introduction to a short story. The title is similar to 'Future Perfect', but the story is more like 'Five Days Forward' in tone. So if you like it, now you have two more you can check out! Thank you for reading. Look for updates every few days and enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

2.

"Hello, sir," Ianto says, gazing down at the disheveled form of his boss and lover on the ground. He immediately notes that several things are different about the man before him, as opposed to the man he shagged in the shower that morning. This Jack Harkness looks minutely younger, or perhaps less careworn, especially around the eyes. He's slightly slimmer and his hair is much longer, but then he grins up at Ianto, and it's the same shit-eating grin his Jack uses on unsuspecting innocents. Ianto rolls his eyes.

"Hello to you too, _sir,_ " Jack practically purrs. Ianto holds out a hand to help him up, and of course the man holds on longer than necessary, stroking his fingers along Ianto's palm. Ianto shakes his head as he places his hands in his pockets, stepping away and pulling on his most professional demeanor. He has a feeling he'll need it like an iron shield with this man.

"Are you all right?" he asks. Jack brushes himself off, stretches his neck, then pins Ianto with a direct look.

"That depends. Are you offering to check me out?"

"I'd be happy to take to you the local hospital if you need treatment," Ianto replies. He knows Jack's flirting and feels a sort of visceral thrill in being able to deflect it. "Although I'm not sure they'll find much wrong with you."

"That's because I'm fine," says Jack. "Perfect health, all the time."

"Of course. I suppose immortality does that for some people," Ianto murmurs, watching the look on Jack's face. He shuts down immediately.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Which certainly sounds familiar. Didn't they have this conversation in the park once before?

"I'm sure you don't, Captain Harkness." That gets Jack's attention. "But you were quite dead when you rolled out of the Rift, and now you're not."

In a flash, Jack has his Webley out and points it straight at Ianto's head. Ianto tries not to roll his eyes again as he responds with the training he received from Jack. Sensing that this Jack is not expecting any such move from a mild-mannered man in a business suit, he reaches out and grabs Jack's wrist, twisting it down hard with one hand while grabbing the gun with the other. He shoves Jack away and points the gun at him, enjoying the stunned look on the man's face.

"Torchwood, sir," he replies, though he knows this Jack is not, in fact, his superior. He's not sure when this Jack is from, but it's from the past, probably from a time before he was in charge, so there's no reason for Ianto to call him sir, not even kinky ones. Still, it's habit.

"Right. And which one? Cardiff, London, Glasgow?" Jack looks around. "Cardiff, from the smell." Ianto nods and Jack sighs. "Can't even get sucked into a better hellhole."

"I didn't realize Cardiff was so awful for you," Ianto offers, somewhat surprised as his Jack seems to have come to enjoy the city he protects. This Jack shrugs.

"If you'd been here as long as I have, you'd be sick of it too." He tucks his hands into his pockets and bounces on his heels. "You can put the gun down. I'm not going to jump you. At least not in any violent sort of way." He winks. Ianto rolls his eyes, wondering when he'll start to get a headache from it. He hands the Webley back and is relieved when Jack places it in his holster.

"Oh, I _like_ you," Jack replies. "Dead sexy. How about we find someplace nicer than a dirty alley where you can roll those beautiful blue eyes at me all you want, preferably naked?"

"Seriously?" Ianto asks, dumbfounded. "You've fallen through the Rift and you're trying it on with me?"

"That depends," said Jack, stepping closer. "Is it working?"

"You don't even know me," Ianto replies, stepping back.

"I know you have a hell of a way with a weapon," Jack says. "And I'd love to get to know the rest of your moves."

"Stop it," Ianto snaps. "Could you at least try to be professional? We do have a fairly serious situation here."

Jack stares at him before nodding curtly. "Fine. Torchwood first. What year is it then? I'm still in Cardiff, but from the look of these buildings and the cut of your suit, not to mention that hairstyle," Ianto runs a hand defensively through his hair, and Jack winks again, "it's clearly not 1977 anymore."

Ianto swears, but before he can reply, Tosh is buzzing him on his earpiece. "Ianto! Are you all right? The Rift flutter opened and dumped something right on top of you."

Ianto glances at Jack and turns away. "I'm fine, Tosh," he says as quietly as he can. "Everything's all right, just some space junk."

"It reads as a lifeform, Ianto," Tosh replies, sounding confused. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Ianto swears again, hears Jack laughing softly behind him and turns to point a finger at the man, indicating silence. Jack holds up his hands, laughing silently instead.

"I'm sure. And yes, you're right, it's a lifeform, but it's safe. I think. It's… complicated, to be honest."

Jack is standing right next to him, listening in. "Complicated?" he mouths. Ianto shakes his head. "Later," he mimes back. It's almost as if his Jack were standing beside him, gently teasing, only he'd have his hand down Ianto's pants already.

"Listen, Tosh, I have to go. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Do you need any help?" she asks, bless her.

"No," Ianto returns. "Definitely not. Just don't tell…the boss, all right? I'll explain later."

"The boss?" she asks. "You mean—"

He cuts her off, knowing the man right next to him is listening closely. "Yes, the boss. I'll call him later too, although…" Shit. He has plans with Jack that night, his Jack. It's Christmas Eve, and for some reason Jack agreed to spend it with Ianto. Only now he has another Jack and no idea what to do with the second one. Other than the obvious, of course.

"Ianto?" asks Tosh. "Are you sure you're—"

"Yes!" he exclaims. "Tosh, trust me on this. It's…well, you remember the case with the _Sky Gypsy_ last year? It's sort of similar."

"Oh." She pauses. "Okay. Um. Are you sure you can figure this out on your own then?"

"Tosh, I am familiar with the basic rules of time travel." He pauses. "And I have a pocketful of Retcon, so yes, I'll be fine. It'll be a good story when it's all over."

"All right," she reluctantly agrees. "Call me, though. So I know everything is okay."

"Right. Of course." He's about to disconnect when he remembers something. "Let Gwen know it's taken care of, will you? She can take the SUV back to the Hub. We'll get a cab."

"We?" asks Tosh. "We who?"

Ianto glances around, spots a CCTV camera at the end of the alley. "I'm sure you can figure it out, Tosh. You know your way around the system, and you might need to do some scrubbing. Only keep it to yourself for now."

He hangs up before she can go any further, but he's fairly she she'll have tracked him down on the CCTV within ten minutes, if not sooner. He hopes she doesn't tell Jack. The idea of Jack meeting his past self is too mind-numbing to contemplate; he's sure the universe would implode from charm and sexual prowess alone, not to mention all kinds of metaphysical paradoxes.

Turning back to Jack, he sighs. The man is standing there looking at him with the exact same look his Jack uses when he knows perfectly well something is going on. Choosing to ignore it, since this _isn't_ his Jack and Ianto has no obligation to him, he takes the man's arm and hurries out to the nearest main road, where he starts watching for a cab.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" Jack asks, going for innocent but sounding seductive instead.

"Not particularly," Ianto replies. "And certainly not here. We're going back to—" He stops. He can't take Jack back to the Hub, and he doesn't want to take him back to the flat. That's inviting trouble into his home, guaranteed sexual harassment. Right now he needs to figure out what to do, and he can't do that if Jack is hitting on him in his living room.

A cab pulls up and Ianto motions Jack inside. Jack is still waiting for an answer, but glances around curiously before turning to Ianto with a raised eyebrow. Ianto ignores him and gives the driver the address of a pub near his flat, though not the one he prefers to frequent. Hopefully it will be relatively empty this time of day. Jack can get some food, and he can get a drink as he tries to figure out what to do.

He turns to the man next to him and lowers his voice. "Look, you've fallen through the Rift thirty years into the future."

"I gathered," Jack replies dryly. He reaches up to touch Ianto's earpiece; Ianto tries not to shiver at the man's touch. "This is far more advanced than the disco era."

"Then you know we have to be very careful about timelines," Ianto says.

"Why aren't you taking me back to Torchwood?" asks Jack. "Back to the Hub?"

"I told you—timelines."

"You also said you had a pocketful of Retcon if you needed it. So anything that might change the timeline can be wiped from my memory."

"Not this," Ianto murmurs. They arrive at the pub, and Ianto throws several pounds at the driver before hurrying from the car. Jack follows him into the building, looking around curiously. It's decorated for the holidays and Christmas music is playing softly in the background. There are only a handful of others scattered around. Jack waves at them before joining Ianto at the bar.

"Buy me a drink?" he murmurs with a wag of his eyebrows.

"If you stop that," Ianto tells him, ordering two pints of Brains, figuring it's safe since it's been around for decades.

"Stop what?"

"Flirting," Ianto replies. He hands Jack a glass and leads him toward a booth in the back corner of the pub. Jack grumbles as he slides across the bench.

"So apparently the next century is equally as uptight as the last," he says, staring into his drink. He takes a long pull, then nods in appreciation. "At least the beer is good." He finishes half; Ianto watches in astonishment, as his Jack does not drink much, and nurses it when he does.

"What?" Jack asks, polishing it off and motioning toward the bar for another round. "Never seen a man drink before?"

"No, just not—" Ianto stops himself and drinks half his own glass before he sets it down. "Look, you're thirty years out of your own time and it's Christmas Eve. We need to figure out how to get you to your own time before…" He pauses, since he can't very well finish with something along the lines of _Before I spent the night shagging your future self into tomorrow._

"Before what?" Jack asks. He's grinning like he has some idea of what Ianto was going to say.

"It's Christmas," Ianto replies stiffly. "I have plans. With my family."

Jack snorts. "You're Torchwood. You don't see your family. No one does." He stares into his glass with an uncharacteristic look of bitterness. The barman sets down two more pints, and Jack drinks half his in one go. Ianto starts to suspect something else is wrong, other than finding himself trapped out of time; Christmas was obviously the wrong subject to bring up.

"Listen, you're an experienced time traveler," Ianto says. "Do you have any ideas about how to get back?"

"How do you know I'm a time traveler?" Jack asks. "And how do you know I get back? Maybe I stay here and we live happily ever after."

This time Ianto snorts, right into his glass so that it echoes loudly across the table. Jack grins, but he's clearly waiting for an answer.

"I work for Torchwood," Ianto replies. "I'm the general administrator, so I know the records. You're all over them."

"You've got good moves for a PA," Jack says. Ianto bits back his first retort, that of course he does, because Jack taught him, and more besides. Instead he shrugs.

"I needed to be field trained," he says. "We're a small operation and there are more times than not when we need all hands on deck, so to speak."

"All right, but how do you really know I get back?" Jack asks again. "Maybe I was serious about my offer."

"Which one again?" Ianto asks, and Jack grins, leaning forward and wafting those damn pheromones at him. Ianto had thought he'd been teasing when he'd first met Jack in the park over a year ago, but it was quite real, and quite amazing.

"All of them," Jack murmurs, gazing at Ianto's lips. Ianto stares as well, until he shakes himself out of it and sits back as far as he can.

"Sorry, not interested." _At least, not yet,_ he thinks to himself with a small smile. Being with this Jack makes him suddenly impatient to see his own Jack. Maybe he can sneak off later, once he's dealt with this one.

"Your loss," Jack replies, also sitting back. He finishes his drink and motions at Ianto's second, untouched one. Ianto frowns but nods, and Jack starts his third pint. "So, girlfriend, then?"

Ianto glances down at the table and shakes his head. "No," he says softly. Jack raises an eyebrow.

"Boyfriend?"

Ianto shrugs. "Not really, but something like that, I suppose."

"Huh. Seeing him tonight then?" Ianto nods reluctantly and Jack takes a long sip before he grins, though it looks slightly forced. "Good for you, whatever it is. Didn't peg you as the type, actually."

Ianto laughs. "Then why did you flirt with me?"

"Instinct."

"And why am I not the type?"

Jack studies him. "Stiff, proper, formal, buttoned-up, by-the-book—"

"All right, all right," Ianto grumbles, feeling self-conscious at this Jack's quick judgement of him. "I get it, although I'm not sure why those things dictate who I sleep with."

Jack nods. "You're right, they shouldn't. I'm sorry." Ianto raises an eyebrow in surprise. "What, didn't expect me to apologize? Just because I can charm someone's pants off doesn't mean I can't apologize when they preferred to keep them on."

Ianto frowns. "That sounds like sexual assault, you know."

Jack rolls his eyes this time, calls the barman over and orders some bourbon, a double straight up, and then a second for Ianto before he turns back to him. "It was a figure of speech. Speaking of which, you have a bit of a golden tongue yourself. You still haven't answered my question. Why do I have to go back?"

And once again Ianto deflects. "Why don't you want to go back?"

"Too much rain," Jack replies shortly, clearly avoiding a real answer.

"You should be used to it after a hundred years," Ianto points out.

"How the hell do you know that!" Jack exclaims.

"I told you, I've seen the files." Which wasn't true, since the ones that he'd found were heavily redacted. Jack had told him bits and pieces of his life as they'd grown closer over the months since his return, but he couldn't tell this Jack that Ianto was dating his future self.

"That's not in the files," Jack says. "I didn't start with Torchwood until …well, you probably know."

"1899," Ianto replies instantly.

Jack narrows his eyes. "What's really going on here?" he asks. The bourbon arrives and Jack turns a blinding grin on the barman, ordering two plates of fish and chips without even asking Ianto if he's hungry or paying. He takes a long sip of his drink, patiently waiting for Ianto to answer.

"You've fallen through the Rift. You're still in Cardiff, but the year is 2008. There's nothing more to it."

"You knew me as soon as you saw me," Jack murmurs, as if talking to himself. "You know things _about_ me, things not in any files. Am I still working for Torchwood? Thirty years in my future?"

"You know I can't answer that," Ianto replies, finishing his drink and reaching for the other bourbon. He knows Jack will want it, but he needs it more.

"You called me sir," Jack continues. "You disarmed me. You not only know me, you work for me, don't you?"

Ianto finishes his bourbon in two burning sips and motions for more. He wants another, and Jack's going to need it. He shouldn't have been surprised that Jack worked it out; he is clever, after all, no matter how he comes off.

"So thirty years from now, I'm still working for Torchwood. Am I still waiting for…well, you probably know that too."

The food arrives and Jack digs in. Ianto picks at his before answering. "No, you're not still waiting."

"So I found him?" Jack asks with a mouth full of food. He is so innocent, so excited, so hopeful, that any lingering anger Ianto was holding onto over Jack's disappearance immediately dissipates. This is the man Jack hid from them, a man lost and desperate for answers. It's no wonder he took off when the Doctor arrived.

"I'll have to Retcon you," Ianto tells him, and Jack nods eagerly.

"Fine, fine, but tell me! Do I find him?"

"Yes." Thank god the drinks arrive.

Jack sits back, looking stunned and relieved. "How long?"

"I really can't tell you that," Ianto says.

"I won't remember," Jack insists. "Please, I have to know!"

"Not for a while," Ianto tells him. "Which is how I know you go back. If you don't go back and live the past thirty years, you'll miss him."

Jack finishes his second bourbon and nods. "All right, so how do we get me back?"

"I take it your wrist strap doesn't work?" Ianto asks. Jack frowns.

"Wow, you do know a lot. Scary, but still sexy. And no, it doesn't work. Not like that, not since I got here."

Ianto returns to his food, trying to think of a way to get this Jack back to his past. He'd been hoping the wrist strap might have worked, even though his Jack had told him the story of being stuck on Earth after his wrist strap burned out.

"What about the Rift Manipulator?" asks Jack. "You must have some sort of advanced technology after so many years."

Now it's Ianto's turn to snort. "Right. Last time we tried using the Rift Manipulator we ripped apart the fabric of space time and released an apocalyptic beast from the void."

"I hate it when that happens," Jack says with a smile, a more genuine smile than any yet. Ianto tries not to let it get to him. "All right, got anyone you can call for a time travel lift?"

"Not really, although…" He trails off. John Hart is definitely off the table, but maybe his Jack had a way to contact the Doctor, and the Doctor could take this Jack back to 1977. The only problem was that Jack would then have to wait thirty years to really meet up with the Doctor and find out what had happened to him. It seemed a cruel thing to do to maintain the timeline, even if they Retconned him.

"No," Ianto tells him. "We really don't. You keep saying the 21st century is when it all changes, but I don't think much has changed yet."

Jack cocks his head. "I like that. The 21st century is when everything changes. Very true."

Ianto picks at his food some more. "Don't suppose you'd care to share the details?" he grumbles. Jack finishes his plate, orders yet another drink, and laughs. Ianto is wondering when he's going to start dancing on the table; it's so unlike his Jack he's really not sure what to say or do.

"Did your boss?" Jack asks, sounding curious.

"Nope," Ianto replies, and Jack crows in triumph.

"So I am in charge!" He grimaces. "Wow. Torchwood must have really fallen apart to put someone like me in charge."

Ianto regrets slipping, but finds it amusing that he's feeding Jack the line which Jack in turn feeds them. Only he won't remember since he definitely needs to be Retconned before going back. Unless his Jack actually remembers this and never said anything. Ianto doubts Jack would sit on a secret like that. Once they'd started sleeping together he'd have told him, like a little kid confessing he'd stolen the cookies: _I already met you in your future, you know. Which was my past. Neat, huh?_

"You're doing fine," Ianto tells him. "But that won't happen if we don't get you back."

"And I never said anything about this? The current me, present me, that is," Jack says. Ianto suspects he's going to have a temporal headache before this is all over. "He never told you what to do when you found his past self in the street?"

"You'd have thought that would be a required conversation in Torchwood," Ianto replies as dryly as he can. "But no, he's never said anything. I don't think he remembers."

"You don't know that," Jack says. "Maybe he was waiting for the right time to say something.""Considering you're here and drinking your way through the 21st century, it's too late for—" He stops as his mobile goes off.

And of course it's Jack. His Jack.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you know which Jack this is, though there is still much more to reveal. I hope that was as fun for you as it was for me, though I apologize for any slips in tense as this is not my usual style at all! Thank you for all the comments and kudos—the pressure is on and I hope you enjoy the rest!


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"I have to take this, excuse me," Ianto says, standing up and moving away. He keeps a close eye on past Jack, though, seeing as he's ordering something else from the barman. Ianto's going to be paying quite a bill; maybe he'll make his Jack pay up.

"Ianto!" says Jack on the phone. "Tosh tells me the Rift opened up for you. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, sir," Ianto replies. The other Jack is watching him as well and waggles his eyebrows at the word 'sir.' Ianto rolls his eyes and turns away. "It's all taken care of."

"So something came through?"

"Space junk," Ianto tells him, hoping Tosh didn't say otherwise.

"Are you bringing it in?" Jack asks.

"Something's come up," Ianto replies. "But it's contained for now." Figuratively speaking, of course.

"Are you all right? Because Gwen said you took a cab home," Jack says.

"My sister called," Ianto replies, wishing he'd prepared something better. "She needed … um…well, she needed to borrow something."

"And it couldn't wait?"

"Big dinner tomorrow so she's setting the table early. Needed chairs. And some serving pieces." He kicks himself for adding that last.

"Really?" Of course Jack sounds skeptical. Ianto's a twenty-five-year old bachelor; why would he have folding chairs and serving pieces? "Didn't know you had that sort of stuff."

"I kept it when my mum died over the summer," Ianto replies. It's not a complete lie; he did keep some of his mother's things, though his sister took the majority, and he hadn't kept anything remotely resembling serving pieces. That was stretching it quite a bit.

"All right," Jack says, and Ianto pictures him nodding slowly. "Not sure serving pieces qualify as an emergency, but it is Christmas."

"I didn't say it was an emergency," Ianto replies defensively. "I figured we'd dealt with the Rift flutter and with things looking quiet for the rest of the day, I could take care of it. Less badgering to deal with on my part."

Jack is silent for a moment. "I could have helped you," he says, sounding almost disappointed. He lowers his voice. "Gwen is driving us nuts complaining about spending Christmas with her in-laws."

Ianto tries not to snigger; he'd already had an earful in the car with her. Jack continues. "Look, if you're sure everything is all right, come back as soon as you can so we can tag it, bag it, and close shop early. We're still on for tonight, right?"

Ianto turns and glances at the other Jack. He's hitting on the barman, who's brought a shot of tequila and some bread pudding and looks like he's regretting it. It shouldn't bother Ianto, because his Jack is not all that different in that respect and would flirt with the blond, blue-eyed barman as well. But this Jack would probably follow through, whereas his Jack probably wouldn't. At least, not if Ianto were with him.

The question is, what does he do with this Jack? Ianto's tempted to let him pull for the night, although the pub is still mostly empty so there's not many prospects, and it is Christmas, after all. And letting Jack loose three decades from his own timeline still seems like a bad idea, particularly given how much he's had to drink. That alone makes Ianto want to keep an eye on him. But he'd planned on spending the night with his Jack. They were going to make dinner, curl up with an old black and white holiday movie, and shag the night away before Ianto heads to his sister's the next day to suffer through an excruciating dinner with her family, Johnny's family, and five screaming children crawling all over him while the women try to set him up with their single friends and Johnny gets drunk with his brother George.

He considers asking Gwen to Jack-sit. It would save her from having to go to the Williams' house, after all, and she'd owe him at least a weekend off. But she talks too much, and she could very well end up snogging past Jack under the mistletoe, diamond ring on her finger or not. Owen hadn't mentioned any plans, being dead and all, but a zombie employee is a pretty big spoiler, even with Retcon. Tosh, perhaps. Ianto doesn't think she has any plans for the night, so maybe past Jack could stay with her. She could definitely hold her own with him, probably better than Ianto, and if the present day Jack is out of the Hub at Ianto's flat, she can work there with past Jack on getting him back to his own time.

Perfect.

"Yes, we're still on. I'll be back soon, get some things done, and you can come by like we'd planned."

"Great," says Jack. "I was worried for a moment there, when Tosh said you'd had an emergency. I'll see you in a little while."

"Tell her I'm fine, and that I'll have something for her soon."

He hangs up and returns to the table. Jack is picking at his dessert, looking morose now.

"Didn't score?" Ianto asks lightly, and Jack shakes his head.

"'Course not," he says, and he's on the verge of slurring his words. "It's Christmas Eve, everyone has plans. He has plans. You have plans." He knocks back the vodka martini that he'd ordered while Ianto was on the phone. Ianto slides over a glass of water and goes up to the bar to pay the hefty tab, slightly astounded to see how much Jack had drunk: three pints, two bourbons, another cocktail, a shot of tequila, and a vodka martini with fish, chips, and some bread pudding. The man is going to be feeling it the next day, unless his healing ability keeps him from getting hangovers. Ianto is glad he paced himself, since he suspects things could get tricky with a drunk and depressed Jack. He debates leaving him with Tosh for the night after all.

"Come on," Ianto tells him. "Let's go back to mine for a while." He needs to get Jack settled and sober before doing anything else.

"That's the best news I've heard since I got here," Jack replies with a wink as he stands and trips over himself getting out of the booth. Ianto reaches out to steady him, Jack grins rather stupidly, and Ianto wonders what his own Jack is like after too many drinks.

"And when we get there, you're drinking nothing but water and staying put until you sober up. I've got to go to the Hub."

"I still don't understand why you're not taking me there." Jack actually pouts. "I'd love to see what it looks like now. Still a dark, dank hole in the ground?"

Ianto frowns. First Cardiff, now the Hub; this Jack is quite bitter about his circumstances. They step outside, the cool air a welcome change from the warmth of the pub. It's a few blocks to his flat and Ianto suspects it will be good for Jack, if he can manage it without falling over. Unfortunately, he's weaving a lot, so Ianto slings as arm around his shoulder to steady him. It's cloudy and Ianto wonders if they might get some snow.

"You smell nice," Jack murmurs against his neck.

"Er, thanks," Ianto mumbles back. Jack's lips against his neck feel familiar and as usual, quite nice. He reminds himself that this man doesn't actually know him, however, and doesn't know what he likes, while his Jack is waiting for him back at the Hub and definitely does.

"So why not the Hub?" Jack prompts.

"I don't think it's a good idea to run into your future self," Ianto replies honestly. "Especially drunk."

Jack frowns and turns glassy eyes toward him. "The universe won't end, you know. And you're already planning on Retconning me."

"I don't think either one of you would respond well," Ianto hedges.

"You think I'll try to sleep with myself," Jack laughs. "Of course I would. Would he?"

"Probably," Ianto mumbles. He's more concerned about changes to the timeline than the complicated sexual mores of an immortal man literally shagging himself. His Jack is older and wiser, yes, and would certainly be cognizant of the effects on the space time continuum. But Ianto wonders if an older Jack could resist comforting his younger self, reassuring him that things would turn out okay, or warning him of certain events. Ianto's already told this Jack that he will find the Doctor, but he's not sure what else Jack might reveal to his younger self to make the years easier.

"So why are you going in?" Jack asks. Arriving at his building, Ianto holds off replying as he takes out his keys. They manage to stumble inside and up to Ianto's flat. As soon as the door is shut, Jack presses him against it and begins to kiss him. Hard.

At first Ianto is too shocked to do anything (even though he shouldn't be; this is Jack and his own frequently does the same thing.) Then he responds to the familiar feeling of Jack's lips against his, until he realizes it's not quite the same, and he's actually kissing someone else. He pulls back and pushes Jack away from him, gently so as not to knock him over or possibly hurt his feelings.

"Still thinking about those plans for later?" Jack murmurs. Ianto nods. Jack moves away and throws himself onto the sofa. Ianto decides to make some coffee. He escapes into the kitchen, putting the kiss from his mind and thinking about his own Jack. The familiar routine of making coffee calms him, and he feels better approaching the man sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands.

Ianto hands him a mug of coffee, black like he usually prepares it. Jack takes a sip, nods in appreciation. "This is great." There is no orgasmic moan, though, and then—"Do you have any milk and sugar?"

Ianto stares at him before he stands with a huff and goes to add some milk and sugar. Then he returns and sits in the chair opposite the sofa. He's not insulted, not really, but he is going to make his Jack the best damn cup of coffee ever when he goes back to the Hub, just to serve it black and hear that moan he's so used to.

"All right, here's the plan," Ianto begins. "I'm going to work. I told my boss…Jack…well, you…that I would drop off what I found from the Rift." He glances around, grabs the remote from his stereo, and pockets it. It's only a prop for Tosh, anyway, and if worst comes to worst, he can step on it and pass it off as something else. "I'm going to talk to our tech specialist and see if she can work with you on a way to get back to your time tonight."

"And what will you be doing?" Jack asks. He glances around. "And have you got anything stronger for the coffee?"

"No," Ianto snaps. "You've had quite enough. What's with the drinking, anyway? You don't usually have more than a glass or two."

Jack stares at him, his face hard. "Good to know I kick the habit."

"Seriously, Jack," Ianto says. "I need you sober for this. You can't stay here. You have to get back to your own time."

"Right," Jack drawls, standing up. He starts poking around Ianto's flat. Ianto suspects he's looking for more to drink. "Because you don't want me around, not when you have big plans for tonight."

"Stop it," Ianto says. "This isn't like you!"

"How do you know?" Jack demands. "You work for my future self. If he's anything like I am, he doesn't talk about himself much."

"No, he doesn't," Ianto agrees. "But he doesn't feel sorry for himself, not like this. He doesn't try to drink things away."

"Because he's the boss, right," Jack sneers. "In charge."

"Yes, he's in charge. He's a good man. _You're_ a good man."

"I'm really not," Jack laughs bitterly, shaking his head. Ianto's experienced this self-loathing before, talked his own Jack off the proverbial ledge, but this is worse than he's ever seen. What happened to the man before him, that's he's so bitter and broken? Ianto stands and takes a reluctant step closer.

"I know you, Jack," he says softly. "I know you've done things you can't forgive yourself for, but you're different now. The Doctor changed you, and Torchwood, and the people you've met along the way. You are a good man who is doing amazing things for the people of this city."

"I'm immortal," Jack whispers, his eyes closing. "I'm a monster."

"That's not true!" Ianto insists. He wants to reach out to Jack, but hopes his presence is enough comfort.

"Then why did they leave?" Jack insists. His eyes are open and bright, wet with tears. "I have a daughter. She's two. She's beautiful and amazing, but her mother took her away and ran. She won't see me, won't let me see my own daughter. They're in hiding because she thinks I'm a monster."

Ianto stares at him in shock. Jack has a daughter? Why didn't he ever say anything? Ianto wonders if he'll ever know anything about Jack.

Jack laughs bitterly. "See, there's nothing you can say. So forgive me if I'm bitter. It's Christmas, the one person I want to spend it with is gone from my life forever, and now I'm stuck thirty years in the future with no way back. Alone."

"You're not alone, Jack," Ianto says softly. "We'll figure this out."

"How?" Jack demands. "You have plans with your boyfriend tonight! You're dumping me on a techie so you can get shagged."

"That's not…" He trails off. It's true. As much as he tells himself that asking Tosh to help while he takes his own Jack home and keeps him distracted is the best way to figure this out, he's doing it as much for his own personal reasons as well. It's their first Christmas together, in whatever sense they're together. He doesn't want to miss it, especially when he can't tell Jack why. If it had been a typical Torchwood case that kept them working, it'd be fine. At least he'd be with Jack, chasing aliens and saving the world. But this, not being able to tell Jack that they can't spend Christmas together because he's hiding Jack's past self in his flat…that's twisted and bizarre even for Torchwood.

Plus, they need the Hub to try and figure out a solution, and if he brings his Jack back to his flat, at least Tosh and past Jack could work freely in the Hub. But the broken man before him is right: Ianto can't leave him now. He needs to see this through.

"All right, here's what we'll do. I'll get Owen, our doctor, to take you…the present you… out of the Hub tonight. Drinks or something," Ianto explains. "Then we'll go in and start working."

"And will your doctor be able to keep him out long enough?"

"It'll be tough, since he lives there and I'll have to cancel our…" Ianto trails off, realizing he's said too much.

"I live at the Hub?" Jack asks skeptically. "Ugh."

"Well, you're in charge, I suppose it made sense at the time. You don't spend all your time there, though."

Jack narrows his eyes. "Right. Maybe you should just tell me that I'm here." He grins. "I love time travel."

"No," Ianto shakes his head. "Owen can always knock him out, give him a sedative or something."

"You'd do that to your boss?" asks Jack, sounding surprised.

"You don't know the half of it," Ianto mutters. Jack steps forward, runs his hand along Ianto's suit lapel.

"Do you like him?" he asks softly. "Because if you do, and the boss thing is an issue, I'd be happy to step in for him."

Ianto literally slaps his hand away, and Jack laughs, the earlier moments of darkness gone. "You like him, I know you do. I can tell by the way you talk about him. You don't want to do this, sneak around behind his back."

"Of course I don't," says Ianto. "He's my boss. He's in charge of my job and my paycheck."

"Then tell him. We're time travelers, remember? He'll get it."

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Ianto replies.

"If you say so," Jack replies, looking extremely skeptical. "So that's the new plan? Sneaking around my future self and hoping we don't get caught? What do we do until then?" It was clear Jack had some ideas, and Ianto did as well, only he was determined to see them through with his own Jack.

"I still have to go in to the Hub. You stay here. In the flat. Alone. Getting sober."

"What if I—"

"No," Ianto tells him firmly. "We're talking about the integrity of the entire space-time continuum; do you understand? You should know better than anyone that you can't muddle around because you could change things when you go back."

"Like looking up the winning lottery numbers or something?"

Ianto frowns. "There was no National Lottery in 1977."

"Then I can be ready for the first one!" Jack grins.

"Just…no," Ianto says, shaking his head. He needs to get away, even for an hour. Clear his head and figure out how to make this work. "Stay here, I'll be back soon. I'm going to the Hub to talk to Tosh, our tech expert. I'll talk to Owen as well. He can take your future self out in a little while, and then you and I can go back to the Hub and figure out how to send you to your own time. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Jack shrugs. "But you're in charge, sport."

Ianto's eyes go wide. His Jack had called him that not long ago, and he'd disliked it then as much as hearing it from this Jack. He takes a step forward and wags his finger at Jack.

"My name is Ianto Jones. Stop flirting, don't poke around my flat, and no more alcohol. Got it?"

Jack salutes him with a cheeky grin. "Sir, yes sir!"

Ianto narrows his eyes, turns his back, and starts to walk away, fully intending to slam the door behind him. But Jack grabs his hand, yanks him around, and kisses him again. And Ianto shoves him away again, this time not bothering to hold back, and Jack stumbles backward with another grin.

"See you soon, Mr. Jones," he says. "Thanks for your help."

Ianto has no response. This time when he turns, he makes it out the door, but he doesn't slam it. He touches his lips where Jack kissed him. Different, but still Jack. And this man is so very lonely. Ianto hates sending him back to a time when he's clearly unhappy.

Pulling out his mobile, he calls for a cab and starts walking. He plans as he goes, trying to cover everything, but he can't help thinking that Jack was right. It's a disaster waiting to happen, where any number of things can go wrong and almost certainly will. Maybe he should tell his Jack. There's the smallest possibility he might remember something and know what to do. Whatever happens, he's not having the Christmas he'd hoped for.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments! I hope you enjoyed seeing more of Ianto and past Jack's interactions.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Tosh is thrilled to see him, eager to hear what happened with the Rift flutter and how he ended up with another Jack on his hands, since of course she tracked down all the CCTV footage in the area and then promptly deleted it. He puts her off to see Jack first, poking his head into Jack's office only to find him on the phone. So Ianto smiles and mouths "Coffee soon?" to which Jack grins, winks, makes a completely inappropriate gesture, and nods; Ianto is not sure if any are for him, or for the person on the phone.

Ianto goes back to Tosh and drags her down to the Archives. He needs to bring her up to date and doesn't want Gwen to overhear anything about another Jack coming through the Rift. Once he's filled her in—and once she's stopped laughing over the idea of two Jacks running around his life and flirting like mad—she agrees to help find a way to get the second Jack back to his own time. She's not sure about keeping their Jack in the dark, but plans to look at the Rift again and see if there are any new predictions for an opening that could send past Jack back to 1977. They head upstairs, where Gwen is now in Jack's office, apparently talking his ear off if the bored look on his face is anything to go by. So Ianto goes to see Owen in the medical bay.

After much moaning, groaning, and several epic eye rolls, Owen agrees to take Jack out for a drink when Ianto cancels their plans. He even more reluctantly agrees to sedate the captain if necessary and will call Ianto if anything goes wrong. Ianto knows this is particularly bad idea, but it's all he can come up with. Even Owen thinks putting two Jacks together is the quickest way to ruin Christmas for all of Cardiff.

Finally heading to the coffee machine, Ianto takes his time brewing two perfect cups of coffee before going to Jack's office. He sits down across from Jack and fills him in on the Rift flutter before chatting casually about the rest of the day and their plans for that night, which Ianto is already feeling terrible about canceling. He sets down his mug and wonders if he should tell Jack everything. Maybe he remembers.

"Have you ever been caught up in the Rift?" he asks after a pause in the conversation. Jack raises an eyebrow.

"Only when you pushed me," Jack replies. Ianto flinches as he remembers the debacle at The Ferret over a year ago, when he'd stood and watched as Jack had been sent through a Rift portal into slavery on an alien planet. Not Ianto's finest moment, and still strange to think that was the first time they'd slept together.

"I didn't push you," Ianto murmurs, and Jack laughs, coming around the desk to stand before him.

"I know," Jack replies. "And you came back for me. But why are you asking? Did something else happen out there today?"

"No," Ianto replies quickly, hoping he doesn't sound guilty. "But I guess it got me thinking, how easily it could have. I ran around the corner and there it was, the Rift wide open. If I'd slipped, I could be anywhere in the galaxy right now. Or any time." As soon as he says it, he realizes it's frightfully true.

Jack frowns, then reaches down to pull him up, holding his hands tight. "And I would do everything in my power to find you and bring you back," he says, surprisingly intense. "But you didn't slip. You're still here, and it's Christmas, so no worrying okay?"

Ianto stares into his eyes before kissing him deeply. He's wanted _his_ Jack since the other tumbled out of the Rift at his feet. This is the man he knows, the one he wants to be with, the man who found his answers and still came back to Earth, to Torchwood, to Ianto. This is the man he wants to spend Christmas with, not a Jack thirty years younger, tired of Cardiff and grieving for a lost child. Ianto decides to make the most of it right then. He wraps his arms around Jack, pulling him closer, beginning the familiar dance of seduction that he'd normally not put on in the middle of the workday, at least not in Jack's office where anyone could walk in. Yet Ianto can't help it; he wants Jack _now._

Jack grins against him, apparently feeling his need. "Downstairs?" he murmurs.

"God yes," Ianto replies, already unbuttoning Jack's waistcoat. Jack laughs and pulls him toward the ladder that leads to the tiny bunker below his office.

"Early Christmas present?" he teases, lowering himself into the ground.

"Sure," Ianto says as he lands beside Jack and reaches out for him. "As long as there are more later."

"Oh, there will definitely be more," Jack growls. He slides Ianto's coat to the floor and begins working on Ianto's shirt. Ianto already has Jack's braces down and his belt unbuckled. "You can unwrap me as many times as you like."

Ianto laughs against Jack, reveling in the ridiculousness of it. It strikes him as something that past Jack might have said as well, and he realizes that maybe the two men aren't so different after all. Then he returns his attention to _his_ Jack, and forgets all about the time traveler back at his flat.

* * *

Gwen and Tosh are sitting on the sofa when Ianto steps back into the Hub an hour later. They start giggling at the sight of him. Owen glances up and snorts.

"Fix your hair, mate. It's bloody obvious what you've been up to."

Which causes Tosh and Gwen to burst out laughing. Ianto runs a hand through his hair and hurries over to the coffee machine. He fixes Tosh and Gwen each a cup exactly as they like it, then takes them over to the sofa.

"Tosh, can I see you for a moment?"

Owen raises an eyebrow as Tosh follows him away from the others, sipping her coffee and offering her thanks.

"Have you found anything yet?" he asks, and she grins.

"Actually, I have," she replies. "While you were…busy." Ianto is well past blushing, and even if he weren't, it was worth it, so he doesn't. "I checked the Rift program. It's predicting another flutter tonight, as if the one this afternoon needs to be balanced, or corrected."

"In a way, it does. Perfect." Ianto frowns as he thinks of something. "But how do we know it will get him back to his own timeline?"

"I'm still working on that," she sighs. "Maybe when he's here he can help."

"What time's the opening set for?" Ianto asks.

"Sometime around eight o'clock," she says. "So if Jack sends us home by six, but you have an emergency, and Owen takes him out instead, then you sneak back here with the other Jack, we should be all right."

"Tosh." Ianto gives her a very pointed look. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. We're talking about two Jacks and an unpredictable rift in space-time. On Christmas Eve. Something is bound to go wrong."

She shrugs. "I know. I'm trying to be hopeful. I had a nice bottle of wine and a chocolate pie I was saving for tonight."

He pulls her into a hug. "We'll figure it out, somehow. You shouldn't be drinking alone, though."

"It's fine," she says. "Maybe I'll drag Owen along, make him watch a bad Christmas movie with me."

"Oh, that sounds even better." He laughs, and she joins him.

"All right, that's our plan," she says. "I'm going to go check on the Rift again, see if I can't get some better information."

"A location, perhaps?" Ianto suggests.

"I'll try," she replies. "Although it's looking much more difficult to pinpoint than earlier."

"All right, I'm going to…" He pauses, not sure what to do. He needs to get back to his flat, but it's too soon to leave. "I'm going to poke around the archives before heading out. See what I can find out about 1977. Maybe there are hints about this."

"What are you going to tell Jack about tonight?" Tosh asks. "Our Jack…your Jack."

He rolls her eyes at that last and she grins. But then he tries to think of something to tell Jack and realizes he's already used his sister as an excuse, so he's not sure what else there is. "I don't know," he admits. "Any ideas?"

"What did you tell him this afternoon?" she asks, and he explains about the nonexistent chairs and serving pieces. She nods, her face lighting up, then crashing.

"I have an idea, but you probably won't like it," she says quietly.

"Go ahead," he says. "I've got nothing other than begging off sick and making a miraculous recovery once it's all over."

"He'll want to take care of you if you tell him you're sick on Christmas," Tosh replies, shaking her head. "You need something he won't get involved in. So if you lent your sister some of your mum's things earlier, maybe you can tell him you want to go by the cemetery, pay your respects tonight?" She looks uncomfortable suggesting it, and it does make Ianto's chest tighten to be lying about such a thing, but it also makes sense.

"It's all right," he says, patting her arm. "I was planning on going tomorrow anyway, so you're not that far off. And you're right, he probably would respect my wanting to go alone."

"I'm sorry," she says. "It was my first thought. My parents always laid flowers at the holidays."

"It's fine," he insists. "I'll stop and get some flowers, make sure Jack is sober and awake at my flat, then come back here when we get the all clear on Jack and Owen."

"Okay." She throws her arms around him and hugs him hard, and he pats her on the back before stepping back. "What do you mean by sober?" she asks.

Ianto sighs. "Apparently he's going through a rough time. Practically drank himself out of the pub we stopped at after he fell through the rift. I only took him to my flat to get him to stop."

"Poor Jack," she says. "I wonder what was so bad about 1977?"

"The jumpsuits?" Ianto suggests. He certainly can't tell her about Jack's lost daughter; that is Jack's secret alone to share. He's not even sure if he'll tell Jack that he knows. If Jack does not want to share such an intimate detail about his life, Ianto does not want to force his hand.

"I'll let you know if I find anything downstairs," Ianto tells her. "Oh, and…" He takes out his stereo remote, steps on it, and hands her the pieces. "In case he asks."

"It says SONY on it," she points out.

"Maybe it's from another dimension," he replies with a shrug, then heads down to the archives to learn more about 1977 and Jack's role in it.

* * *

Two hours later Jack tells everyone to go home for Christmas. Tosh shoots him a text to let him know, so Ianto can clean up his research on 1977—not that he found anything to help them—and head upstairs before Jack tracks him down. He meets Jack on the stairs.

"I sent everyone home early," he says with a smile. "And that includes us!"

"Actually, I was just coming to see you about that," Ianto replies. He takes a breath, hating that he's about to lie. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind pushing our plans back a few hours? There's something I wanted to do beforehand."

"Oh." Jack looks disappointed. "Well, I could come with you?"

Under any other circumstances, Ianto would absolutely want Jack to accompany him. But seeing as he's not really doing what he says he's doing, at least not yet, he shakes his head, hoping he looks reluctant.

"Thanks, but after pulling out my mum's stuff, I want to go by the cemetery. It should only take a few hours to pick up some flowers, drive out there, and get back. If you don't mind?"

Jack shakes his head and pulls Ianto in for a hug. Not a manly embrace, but a smothering hug, complete with a kiss and even some snuggling. "Of course not. You do what you have to do. I'll be here." He pauses and raises an eyebrow. "Unless you want me to go over to your flat and start dinner?"

"No!" Ianto shakes his head and kisses Jack for that, hoping to distract him. "No, but thanks. It's just that I don't know how long I'll be, and I'd rather cook together. I can pick you up on my way back, if that's okay?"

"Of course," says Jack. "Call me when you leave and I'll be ready." He kisses Ianto again, and some nice groping ensues, but then Jack stops and kisses his cheek. "I'm sorry about your mother. I know how hard the holidays can be after you've lost someone."

"Thanks," says Ianto, thinking about how the man back at his flat lost his daughter. "And thanks for being so understanding." He hopes Jack is equally as understanding if something goes wrong. But he tells himself that it'll be fine; his Jack is still here, after all, and hasn't disappeared into some alternate dimension temporal paradox. Owen will talk Jack into going out for a drink, Ianto will bring the other Jack back to the Hub, and as long as Owen can keep the present Jack out of the way until the Rift opens—and Tosh can figure out where it opens and if it will even send the other Jack back to his own time—everything will work out fine, the way history means it to be.

They walk back up to the Hub hand in hand. Ianto grabs his coat, waves at Jack, and heads to the garage where he parked his car. He thinks about stopping for flowers, but it's been several hours, and he's growing worried about the Jack back at his flat. Since nothing's popped up on the news or the various scanning programs they have looking for unusual events, he assumes that the past Jack is still at his flat, and hopes the man hasn't upended his home too much. Then again, it's Jack, so if Ianto drives a little bit faster, he's sure he can flash his Torchwood credentials if he's pulled over.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next update on Friday, and maybe a new Christmas story soon as well. Taamar challenged me to write about Christmas, Ianto's family, and tentacles. Look for both our takes on it soon!


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Ianto drives home as fast as he can and hurries up to his flat, relieved to find it still locked; at least Jack didn't sneak out somewhere, or if he did, he apparently made it back.

Unfortunately, Jack managed to find Ianto's liquor and polished off the rest of his Irish whiskey. He's passed out with an empty bottle on the floor, the DVD menu for _The Empire Strikes Back_ repeating its never-ending loop of John Williams' music on the television. So not only did Jack drink himself into oblivion, but he's spoiled one the best science fiction trilogies of all time.

Ianto sighs, goes into the kitchen for a glass of water and some paracetamol, and returns to the living room. He shakes Jack awake, surprised at how much force it takes to rouse him. Jack opens a bleary eye and groans.

"I can't believe Darth Vader is Luke's father."

"I can't believe you watched the next movie."

"I was bored," Jack whines. "You didn't come back right away."

"I had work to do," Ianto tells him, holding out the glass and the pills. Jack sits up, swallows them, then grins.

"No, you had sex!" he crows.

"I did not!"

"Your hair's messed up, and you didn't have that love bite earlier," Jack points out, reaching toward Ianto's neck. Ianto ducks away. "Nice one. I like that spot."

"I know you do," Ianto mutters, then glances up to see if Jack's caught his slip. Even after all the liquor, he's figured it out.

"You're sleeping with me," he says, then falls back against the sofa, laughing. "That's why you left. You're sleeping with me, but you won't sleep with _me."_

Ianto raises an eyebrow. "If I didn't work for Torchwood, that would make no sense."

"But it does make sense because you not only work for Torchwood, but you're shagging an immortal time traveler. No wonder you know so much about me!" Jack finishes the water and sets the glass down. "So, what? I get you all hot and bothered so you go have a quick one at work?"

"No," Ianto protests, then throws himself into the nearest chair. "Yes."

"You could have stayed home and saved yourself a trip," Jack says. "I'm perfectly happy to cheat on myself."

"I'm not," Ianto replies wearily, eyes closed. "You may be an intergalactic time traveler, but I'm a 21st century bloke who's not about to sleep with my…well, with my boss's past self."

"So that's all it is? I'm just your boss?" Jack asks. "You only shag at work?" Ianto does not offer a reply, so Jack continues. "Does that mean there's someone else? Someone you have plans with tonight? Or is that me too?"

"It's you," Ianto murmurs.

"But you referred to me…well, to my future self… as your boss and not as your boyfriend. You said something similar at the pub. Are you only sleeping together? No," he shakes his head, answering his own question before Ianto can even try. "You know things about him. It's Christmas and you've got plans with him. That's more than an office affair, at least for me. Are you dating?"

It's too many questions all at once. Ianto stands up. "Are you hungry or did you raid my kitchen as well as my liquor cabinet?"

"That depends," Jack replies.

"On what?" Ianto calls from the kitchen. He pulls out some crisps and a beer for himself before heading back into the living room.

"On what's really going on here," Jack says. He starts shoving crisps in his mouth. "Are you dating my future self?"

Ianto grabs a handful of crisps as well. "I…well…he asked once and I agreed so I guess so."

"Is it serious?" asks Jack. He sounds genuinely interested.

"Do you do serious?" Ianto returns.

"I have, yes," Jack replies quietly. "So is it?"

Ianto does not answer immediately. "I don't know. Sometimes."

Jack nods in understanding. "So I'm still an obtuse bastard in the future?"

Ianto once thought so, but he knows his Jack well enough now to think differently most of the time. "No, you're not. Just very guarded."

"So you're still going to ditch your very guarded sort-of boyfriend on Christmas? Because it sounds like it might be more than shagging in the archives" – Ianto looks up, eyes wide at that conclusion—"and I think my future self would be disappointed, even if he doesn't show it."

"He's not my boyfriend," Ianto replies after a moment. "And I told him I was visiting my mum's grave."

Jack wrinkles his nose. "Wow, you're using your dead mother as an excuse? That is so very Torchwood."

"I'm trying to help you!" Ianto exclaims. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't criticize my technique." He regrets his choice of words immediately.

"While I'd love to explore your technique," Jack positively leers the words, "even I can see why you'd be uncomfortable sleeping with your boyfriend's past self." He pauses. "Although I think it'd be neat to sleep with my future self's partner. You probably know everything I like."

"This is absolutely surreal," Ianto mutters to himself, shaking his head. "And I've been in London for Christmas."

Jack finishes the crisps; Ianto had about three handfuls. "Got anything other snacks?" he asks. "We can eat some more while you tell me about your boyfriend."

"I have some microwave popcorn," Ianto replies, "but I'm not making it so you can ask me questions about yourself."

"So he is your boyfriend!"

"No, he's my boss. He's my friend. We have great sex and occasionally go out on what would probably be considered dates."

"Sounds like a boyfriend to me," Jack says. "Can I have another drink?"

"Absolutely not," says Ianto. "And I thought you didn't like labels? Being boxed in and all that?"

"Still? Thirty years later?" Jack sighs. "Is it the same sex thing? It's only barely legal in my time. All sorts of requirements about consent and age and privacy, and you can still get in trouble in Scotland. I hate going on assignment to Glasgow."

Ianto smiles, trying to imagine how difficult it must have been for a man like Jack to live through so much repression over the course of his many decades on earth. "Things are better now. Same sex couples are recognized across the UK, with the age of consent equal across the board. And civil unions are legal now as well."

"Brilliant!" Jack says, then sobers up. "Not that I'm big on marriage, mind you."

"I know," Ianto replies, nodding in understanding. "A coworker got married not long ago, it was hard."

Just like that, the conversation dies. Ianto debates going to make that popcorn, but as he's getting ready to stand and do something, anything, Jack speaks again, his voice more serious.

"So what's happening?" he asks. "Here? With me?"

"Tosh is going to let me know when Jack and Owen leave, and we'll go to the Hub then. She said there's a Rift opening predicted for around eight o'clock, so not long from now. Owen's going to keep Jack out while we see if it will get you back to your own time."

Jack frowns. "So you want to shove me back in and hope I don't end up in the middle of a black hole or something?"

"Well," Ianto starts, but it's true. "I think Tosh is hoping you might be able to figure out where the other end of the opening leads to, or know some way to harness it to get you back to your time."

Jack shakes his head. "No, not really. Well, not for the second anyway. I suppose we might be able to tweak my wrist strap to try to get a read on the opening."

"You can do that?" Ianto asks in surprise.

"Never tried," Jack replies. "But it might be possible, if your tech has a good understanding of physics and engineering."

"She's amazing," Ianto says, then holds up a hand when Jack opens his mouth. "And no, you can't sleep with her before you leave."

"I'm not interested in her," Jack murmurs, with an emphasis on the last word. Ianto shakes his head.

"Not happening," he tells him. Jack rolls his eyes.

"You really are stubborn. If you're sleeping with my future self, I'd think you'd be a lot more open."

Ianto almost chokes on his beer at that. He's tempted to tell the other man exactly how much Jack has expanded his horizons, but suspects it would only make for a bigger ego and more teasing. He offers a suggestion instead.

"If you're still hungry, why I don't I order a pizza and we can put on the third _Star Wars_ movie while we wait?"

"Oh!" Jack exclaims, standing too quickly, then steadying himself. He moves slowly toward the television, clearly feeling the alcohol. "That is a brilliant idea. I can't wait years to see how it ends now. And all that lightsaber action should definitely take our minds off sex."

Ianto swears under his breath as he takes out his mobile and orders from the place around the corner. He's never going to view _Return of the Jedi_ the same way.

* * *

An hour later he's finishing another slice of pizza and trying not to imagine Jack…his Jack, of course…dressed in Jedi black, but he's failing and finally closes his eyes to enjoy it. Within moments he feels a pair of lips ghosting across his, and opens his eyes to find past Jack straddling him.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" he murmurs, placing light kisses along Ianto's jaw and neck.

"About him, yes," Ianto admits, gently pushing Jack away. "Not you."

"I am him," Jack replies, leaning forward again. "Or I will be in thirty years."

"It's not the same." Although this Jack also has a way with his lips and tongue.

"I'm Jack Harkness. You're dating Jack Harkness. Why does it matter whether you're with an older or younger version of me? You are probably the only person on the planet right now who has the option of sleeping with the younger edition of your boyfriend."

"He's not my—" Ianto starts, but there is a sound at the door, of someone entering the flat. He pushes Jack off him and hurries toward the small hallway by the door, where he is shocked to find his Jack standing there with two shopping bags, staring back at him in equal surprise.

"Ianto!" he exclaims. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"Oh," says Ianto. "Er. Right. Haven't left yet."

Jack studies him closely. "Is everything all right? You look upset. Flustered."

"That's because he won't let me snog him," drawls a voice from behind Ianto, and past Jack comes sauntering over, hands tucked into his pockets. "Every time I try he goes on and on about you and shoves me off."

Hi Jack—or present Jack, Ianto decides to think of him—does a brilliant imitation of a goldfish as his mouth opens and closes several times before he finally finds his voice.

"What the hell is going on?" he demands.

"Not what you think," Ianto replies automatically.

"Unfortunately for all of us," adds past Jack. "Since I know _exactly_ what you are thinking."

Present Jack glances back and forth between Ianto and past Jack. He looks both angry and confused, and Ianto isn't sure which he prefers. Neither really. He wonders what Jack is doing at his flat.

"Ianto, can I see you in the kitchen?" his Jack asks, then practically grabs Ianto and pulls him into the other room, all the while staring at his past self. Who actually _winks_ at them both. Or maybe at Jack.

"So," says Jack, setting down his bags and turning slowly. "This is a new one for me."

"Me too," Ianto grumbles, avoiding his eyes. "You're even harder to fend off thirty years younger."

"Thirty years?" Jack asks, and nods. "All right. Okay. So that's really me. Tell me what happened."

"There's not much to say. He fell out of the Rift this afternoon. I bundled him off to a pub to try and figure something out, but he drank himself stupid, so I brought him back here." Ianto meets Jack's eyes. "And we didn't sleep together, if you're trying to picture it."

"Picture you with my past self? No, really not going there," says Jack. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't think the two of you should meet," Ianto replies. He contemplates pulling another beer from the refrigerator, but decides he needs his wits about him with two Jacks in his flat. "Tosh said there's another Rift opening predicted tonight so the plan was for Owen to take you out while we snuck back to the Hub and tried to see if it would get him back to his own time."

Jack nods slowly, but does not say anything. At least he doesn't look angry; it's all confusion now, touched with hurt and perhaps disappointment.

"Why are you here?" Ianto asks. "I said I'd pick you up later."

"I texted you about getting some food, but you didn't answer, so I went ahead and decided to drop off some groceries for later."

"You were supposed to be going out for drinks with Owen," Ianto says. Jack crosses his hands over his chest and raises an eyebrow.

"Now I know why he was so pushy. We were on our way to a pub for a drink, which seemed odd since he can't _have_ a drink, when I saw a Weevil and took off. Lost it in the sewers." Jack shrugs unapologetically. "So I texted him not to worry about the pub, then texted you about the groceries. When you didn't answer I decided to go ahead and leave them here before heading back to the Hub to wait for you."

"I didn't get your text," Ianto says, frowning as he pulls out his phone. "Or one from Tosh, not to mention it would have been nice if Owen had—"

His phone is dead.

"Ah." He plugs it in to the charger on his counter. "Phone's dead. Sorry about that."

"Distracted by something?" Jack asks, and there is a hint of teasing in his voice. Ianto is so relieved that Jack no longer seems angry that he has no qualms admitting it.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he tells Jack. He jerks his head toward the living room. "He's far more difficult to manage than you ever are."

"Hey!" yells past Jack. "I am not!"

"What year is he from exactly?" asks Jack, and Ianto tells him. Jack nods. "Yeah, that was a hard Christmas. Although now that I think about it, I assumed the big hole in my memory was from the drinking, only we're going to have to Retcon him, aren't we?"

"Definitely," says Ianto. "I tried not to say much, I really did, but he worked most of it out on his own. Then he went and spoiled _Star Wars_. That alone needs to be wiped."

"Oh yes, I loved seeing that in the theater for the first time." Jack nods fondly. "I don't remember any of this, though. Even now, seeing him here."

"Maybe it'll start to come back?" Ianto suggests. Jack shrugs.

"Doesn't matter, really. What matters is preserving the timeline. He has to go back, since I do remember the past thirty years."

"He wanted to stay, but I told him the same thing," says Ianto. "Only now it's a question of whether the Rift opening takes him back to his time. Is there any way we can know?"

"No," says Jack, shaking his head. "But given that I'm here now, I'd say it obviously gets him back there. Then. Whatever."

"So we should go to the Hub," Ianto starts. "I'll call Tosh—"

At that moment his phone springs back to life and multiple text alerts ding at him. From Tosh, then Jack, several from Owen, then more from Tosh. He picks up the phone to call her, but it rings in his hand first.

"Tosh?" he says.

"Ianto!" she shouts. "Where are you? Jack ditched Owen and he's on his way to your flat! Why aren't you here? The Rift is opening sooner than we expected!"

"Shit," Ianto swears, putting it on speaker phone. The other Jack steps into the kitchen. Present Jack gives him a double take before focusing on Ianto, who is running a hand through his hair and trying not to pace the small kitchen.

"Tosh, we're still at my flat. They're here with me, both of them. It's—"

"Complicated?" she suggests. He has a feeling she's holding back a giggle. "Are you…you know…dressed?"

"Tosh!" he exclaims, and both Jacks laugh at the same time, with the same sound. Ianto glares at them, and they simultaneously hold up their hands, grin, and ask, "What?"

"Oh my god, that was both of them, wasn't it?" she squeals. In the background he hears Owen grumbling before he's on the line as well.

"Put some clothes on before some bizarre paradox brings back the dinosaurs or something," he snaps. "And then get your arse over here so we can get your other boyfriend home."

"He's not my—" starts Ianto, but his Jack cuts him off.

"Tosh, how long until the Rift opens? And have you been able to pinpoint anything else about it? Where's it opening, where's it going, that sort of thing?"

"Hang on, Jack," she says. Ianto can hear her typing furiously in the background. "Oh no! It's starting right now, right by you! By Ianto's flat!"

This time present Jack swears. There is a crackling sound from the living room, and he shouts into the phone. "It's right here, Tosh. Keep an eye on it and we'll get back to you!"

"Jack, don't—" she starts, but they all run into the living room to see the Rift opening in the hallway leading toward Ianto's bedroom. It's nothing like the flutter Ianto had almost run into in the alley, though. It's a deep red glow that slowly splits down the middle with a brilliant yellow light; he can almost hear otherworldly chords accompanying the spectacle. A man confidently steps through, right into Ianto's living room, and glances around with another familiar grin.

"Now _this_ is a party I could really go for," says Jack Harkness, and he winks at them—all of them, even his other selves.

Present Jack looks dumbfounded, while past Jack nods appreciatively. Ianto is pretty sure he's going to pass out. Three Jacks.

One more and he'd have a hell of a poker hand.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suspect a lot of people missed the last update as there were some archive problems about that time and it didn't pop back to the top of the update list. So here's another chapter, and a more exciting one, so I hope you enjoy it! Do let a girl know! I believe there will be seven chapters to this story, with the final two updates next week. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

6.

"Welcome to the Twilight Zone, kids," says the new Jack, the one who's just arrived through the Rift. Ianto's head is still spinning, and he edges closer to his own Jack, feeling overwhelmed by the all the blinding charm and bravado in the room. He reaches for Jack's hand—his Jack—and holds tight.

"I need a drink," murmurs past Jack, and Ianto is tempted to pour them all a scotch. The new Jack rubs his hands together and grins.

"Oh, great idea. Ianto? Could you make some coffee? It has been…" He trails off, smiling sadly at Ianto. "A really long time since I've had good coffee."

"From the future, then?" Present Jack asks, and the new one, now to be known in Ianto's mind as Future Jack, nods.

"Quite a bit in the future, yes."

Ianto wants to ask how far in the future this man has come from, but all he can do is stare. They're all staring at Future Jack. Physically, he looks remarkably the same, with very few changes to mark his age. Only his eyes look more pinched at the corners, and are filled with a deep sorrow. His hair is shorter and he's sporting a fair amount of stubble, but there is no grey. His clothes are only slightly different, and he's not wearing a greatcoat but a long black leather duster, similar to something from _The Matrix_. It's jarring, like seeing Jack dressed up for Halloween, only it's not a turn on, not really. This man is so much older, wiser, and sadder it practically radiates from him.

"Right, I can see I've left you all speechless," Future Jack says, sounding uncertain as he gazes back at three people who can't take their eyes off him. "Do you two mind if I talk to Ianto privately? While he makes that coffee, maybe?"

Past Jack turns away and goes to the window, clearly upset about something. Present Jack squeezes Ianto's hand before nodding and letting go. He walks over to his past self and says something. Future Jack moves toward the kitchen, and Ianto follows, wondering what the other two Jacks might be talking about.

He throws himself into the familiar routine of making coffee, ignoring how badly his hands are shaking.

"How are you, Ianto?" Future Jack asks behind him. Ianto turns and leans against the counter as the coffee brews. He huffs out a nervous laugh as he remembers Jack asking him the same thing not so long ago. He wonders how long it's been for this Jack.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he replies. Jack smiles fondly, as if he too is remembering something that must have been ages ago for him.

"You could, but I couldn't really say much. Being from the future and all."

"Okay, can I ask why you're here then? Whatever happened in my hallway looked a lot more deliberate than the Rift opening I saw this morning."

Jack nods. "Yes, I controlled it. I got my wrist strap fixed so I could come back and help."

"Help?" Ianto asks before it dawns on him. "Are you here to take the other Jack back to the past?"

"Yes," Jack replies quietly. "But mostly I wanted to see you, so it made sense to volunteer for the job."

"Job?" Ianto asks. He's fairly sure he's about to get a typically enigmatic answer and turns away, reaching for a large mug in his cabinet.

"I work to maintain the integrity of time," Jack starts. "We detected a fairly complex anomaly in the space-time continuum here, in this time. Someone needed to make sure that my past self got back to when he belonged, otherwise a massive paradox could take out this entire sector of the galaxy. And since I remembered meeting my future self on Christmas, I knew it had to be me."

Ianto stares at him, not sure what to say before blurting out, "Still black or with milk?"

Jack smiles again and steps closer. "Still black. Is everything all right? You look upset. Flustered."

Ianto laughs a bit hysterically at that, since his Jack had said the same thing less than an hour ago. "There are three of you in my flat. Three Jack Harknesses, each from a different time. It's like I'm in a Dickens novel, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to think or do right now."

"Well," Jack grins, "I could think of a few things."

"Stop it," Ianto replies wearily. "That's not what I meant, and I'm not—"

He stops midsentence when Jack crashes his lips to Ianto's, his hands coming up to frame Ianto's face as he steps closer and pulls Ianto into a crushing embrace. Ianto flounders for a moment, returns the kiss out of instinct, then remembers that _his_ Jack is right in the other room. He may be making out with his past self, but that doesn't mean Ianto can go around snogging Jack's future self in the kitchen. It still doesn't feel right, even if the man before him can do amazing things with his tongue in a very short amount of time.

So Ianto disentangles himself with an apologetic smile. Jack smiles back and steps away.

"Thanks for not punching me," he says. Ianto shakes his head.

"Of course I wouldn't hit you. It was a pretty amazing kiss."

"I miss you," Jack says so softly Ianto barely hears him. He runs his hand along Ianto's face again, his smile so affectionate it's heartbreaking. "Even after all this time."

"Oh." Ianto is _really_ not sure what to do with that. He once again wonders when this Jack is from, since it's clear Ianto is dead in whatever future Jack came from. Ianto hopes it's hundreds of years in the future, because he doesn't particularly want to die anytime soon, and because the thought of being remembered for centuries is a rather nice one.

Behind him the coffee burbles to a stop, and Ianto pours Jack a cup, which he takes with that smile again, letting his fingers linger along Ianto's. He takes a sip, holds it in his mouth, and swallows, making that same orgasmic moan his Jack makes, but with more sorrow and regret. Ianto feels for this man, who seems so sad, like past Jack. It is a striking comparison, and a surprising realization, to think that his Jack actually seems happy. He tries not to believe that he has something to do with it.

"It's exactly like I remember," Future Jack says, wrapping both hands around the warm mug. "Perfect. No one in the galaxy can get it right anymore."

"So people are still drinking coffee, at least?" Ianto asks. Jack nods.

"Oh yeah. I had to singlehandedly introduce the coffee plant to a number of habitable planets, but there's quite a market now."

"That you started?" Ianto asks in amazement. "On a galactic level?"

Jack shrugs. "I had time. And motivation."

Ianto doesn't ask what motivated Jack. He doesn't want to know—and yet he does—why Jack reintroduced coffee to the galaxy. So he asks a different question instead.

"So this job of yours? You're not still…still with Torchwood, are you?"

"No, not Torchwood. Torchwood's no longer around, except as a remote archive somewhere. I work for a different organization."

"The Time Agency?" Ianto asks.

"No, it's not been formed yet," Jack replies. "I suppose this might be a sort of forerunner. Top secret, though. Just a few of us who keep an eye on things, temporally speaking." He's standing next to Ianto, leaning back against the counter, shoulders touching. "The galaxy is really acting up, in my time. Several of us got together to do something about it. The Doctor helps us out now and then." He shrugs again. "But mostly we're on our own."

"Saving the universe instead of one little backward planet?" Ianto suggests. When Jack nods, Ianto feels a tremendous sense of pride and affection, along with happiness and relief. He is glad beyond words that Jack has moved on in the future, found purpose—that he isn't alone and wandering the stars a broken man.

"That's amazing, Jack," he says. "You're amazing. To go from protecting Cardiff to protecting hundreds of planets…I'm so proud of you. And so glad for you. You seem more settled. Content."

Jack is gazing into his mug with a funny expression. "It's been hard at times, I won't lie," he says. "But right now, I think things are about to get better."

Ianto nods knowingly. "Threesome with yourself?"

Jack throws his head back and laughs. "Only if you're there!"

"I'm happy with one of you right now," Ianto replies softly. "So you'd better get your past self back when he belongs."

Jack finishes his coffee and sets the mug down before turning to Ianto. "I probably should. I volunteered to drop his sorry arse back in 1977 after all."

"Why?" Ianto asks curiously. "Isn't it strange seeing your other selves?"

"Oh, it's really weird," Jack agrees. "But I already told you: I came back for you."

"Jack," Ianto starts, but Jack pulls him close, so that their foreheads are resting together.

"Whatever happens, it will always get better. Even at the end." Jack kisses Ianto long and hard, wrapping his right hand around the back of Ianto's neck. He feels a slight prick against his skin, but is distracted by a cough from the doorway. The other two Jacks are standing there.

"Technically, he's with me," says Present Jack.

Future Jack nods. "I know. I remember." He pecks Ianto on the forehead one last time, then walks over to Present Jack and holds out his hand. They shake, and Future Jack pulls Present Jack close, whispering in his ear. Ianto cannot hear what is said, and wonders if it's about the future. Or him. Or both. He stops wondering when Future Jack steps away, only to dart forward again to kiss himself, leaving Present Jack literally flailing his arms. Past Jack whistles; Ianto adjusts his trousers.

"Now I can cross something else off my billion-year bucket list!" Future Jack says with a wink. He jerks his head into the living room. "You're next, but not here. Let's get you back to when you belong."

Past Jack sighs. "Do you remember that year? What it was like?"

Jack lays a hand on his past self's shoulder. "I remember. And while it's a long, hard road, you are going to meet some amazing people along the way. In fact…" He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a slip of paper which he hands to Past Jack. "You might need to call her in a few weeks. Stella Courtney. Neurobiologist, and a great dancer."

Past Jack looks skeptical. "Seriously? You're setting yourself up in the past?"

"Consider it a simple time loop!" Future Jack replies with a grin, while Present Jack agrees.

"He's right. Call her. She's one of those good people you'll meet along the way."

Past Jack shrugs, still skeptical. Future Jack plays with his wrist strap and the same orange glow fills Ianto's hallway. He turns one last time toward Present Jack and Ianto.

"Take care of each other," he says softly, then darks forward to press one more kiss to Ianto's cheek. "And I'll see you soon," he whispers.

Ianto has no idea what that means and wonders if his Jack heard. Future Jack moves toward the light, beckoning his past self to join him. They both turn and wave before stepping into the Rift. The opening closes and the light fades, and Ianto can only hope they were whisked safely back to 1977. He wouldn't be surprised if they stop for a shag along the way though, which is when he realizes something.

"Shit!" Ianto exclaims. "I forgot to Retcon him!"

Jack is staring at the spot where the Rift snatched two of himself. "I still don't remember anything, so I think he must take care of it."

"Permanently?" Ianto asks, and Jack shrugs.

"Maybe. If he's from far enough in the future, they can do that. I really don't remember any of this ever happening, not even now. That entire Christmas is a blur."

Ianto reaches out for his hand. "I'm sorry," he offers.

Jack glances sideways at him. "Did he tell you?"

"He told me he'd lost someone," Ianto replies. "Someone he cared about."

"I did," Jack murmurs. "Although I got them back, in a way." Ianto has no idea what that means. Did he find his daughter at some point? She must be in her thirties now. Maybe he could try to track her down for Jack. Only Jack doesn't know that Ianto knows, and Ianto doesn't want to press him into sharing something so painful.

"That was completely surreal," Ianto remarks. He turns back toward the kitchen, where he takes out two glasses and pours a finger of scotch into each. Jack follows him and accepts the glass with a raised eyebrow, but takes a good sip anyway.

"That's time travel for you," Jack says. "I've seen worse."

"Than your future self snogging your present self while your past self watches?" Ianto asks with deep skepticism.

"I once knew a guy in the time agency who was his own father," Jack replies. When Ianto graces him with a look of complete disbelief, he nods. "Not genetically, but he went back in time and ended up rescuing himself, then got stuck there and raised himself for five years. It was when he realized his father was his future self that he knew he had to go back and rescue his past self."

"You're joking," Ianto replies, and Jack shakes his head. "That's completely messed up."

"That's a time loop. A higher level time loop, but we're trained in those at the Time Agency, so he managed it without changing his own history."

"And this one?" Ianto asks. "Your future self coming back to save your past self because he remembered it?"

"Mid-level," Jack replies. "But still sort of cool." He smirks, and Ianto knows Jack's thinking about kissing himself. He considers pouring another finger of scotch, but he's suddenly too tired to move from where he's standing against the counter.

"So what do we do now?" Ianto asks. "Assume they made it back?"

"I wouldn't be here if they hadn't," Jack points out. "So I think it's over."

"We should call Tosh and Owen and tell them everything's all right," Ianto says. He glances sideways at Jack. "Or you should, since you ditched Owen."

"Only if you tell me why you lied about going to the cemetery," Jack answers casually.

Ianto sighs and picks up his phone, still charging in the wall. "Fine. I'll do it."

Jack laughs, takes the phone, and sets it down. He holds onto Ianto's hand, his eyes both serious and amused. "It's all right, you know. I obviously understand now."

"I'm sorry," Ianto starts, feeling like his holiday is about to implode completely, even though the other two Jacks have left him with the one he really wants. Jack shakes his head.

"Stop it. What I don't get it why you didn't tell me in the first place."

Ianto considers a few answers in his head, trying but failing to explain himself logically, articulately, or scientifically. He can't. "Instinct," he says. "It didn't seem like a good idea for two versions of the same person to meet themselves in the same timeline."

"Expert in temporal physics, are you?" Jack teases, and Ianto sighs again.

"No, obviously not. Three versions of you were right here in my flat and the universe survived."

Jack looks thoughtful. "It was a good instinct. Normally it's not a great idea to cross one's own timeline, especially going backward, because you might change your own history. But he's not going to remember any of this."

"You will," Ianto points out. "Your future self crossed his own timeline."

"That's different," Jack replies. "I have to remember so I can come back and save myself. It's a time loop."

"Tosh is going to want to know _everything_ ," Ianto says. "She'll be sorry she missed it all."

Jack grins. "I'll take her out to lunch and give her the crash course in temporal physics we took at the Time Agency. Speaking of food…" He looks pointedly at the grocery bags on the counter.

Ianto follows his gaze and smiles. "You're hungry?" he asks. "Now?"

Jack finishes his drink and walks over to the groceries. He takes out a bottle of red wine, a Montepulciano Ianto frequently orders at the Italian restaurant they enjoy going to on their rare nights out. He also takes out fresh bread and pasta, some vegetables and parmesan, and a chocolate torte that looks delicious. He winks as he sets some whip cream next to it.

"It's Christmas," Jack says. "And I was looking forward to it, so I say we carry on."

Ianto picks up the wine, then the whip cream. "First course?" he suggests, and Jack throws his head back and laughs. He pulls Ianto toward him and holds him tight.

"As long as there's more later," he murmurs, kissing Ianto's neck.

"Naturally," Ianto replies. "We can work up our appetite, get something to eat, then have dessert."

"And by dessert do you mean what I hope you mean?"

"The torte looks good," Ianto replies. "But yes, some of that too."

"That's what I call a plan." He moves closer for a longer kiss this time, before pulling back and regarding Ianto with a thoughtful look. "What was it like?" he asks. "Kissing a different me?"

"Oh, well." Ianto stops before he starts to stutter an inarticulate reply. He kisses Jack and smiles. "It wasn't as good as that. It was you, and yet it wasn't, so I'm happy to be rid of them." He hopes it's enough to quell Jack's curiosity, because if he says anything more he'll make a fool out of himself, and he's not ready or willing to do that, not for the sake of Jack's ego.

Jack's smile is so blinding he must have said the right thing. "I'm happy too," Jack says softly. "And he told me to hold onto that feeling, not be afraid of it. Think we can do that?"

Ianto pretends to consider it. "I think we can," he says, then adds. "Especially tonight. Being Christmas and all."

Jack takes his hand and leads him from the kitchen, though he leaves behind the whip cream. "Happy Christmas, Ianto," he says, and Ianto smiles back at him, thinking about the other two Jacks. One won't remember much about his Christmas, but the other seemed hopeful for the future. Ianto is glad to be there with his Jack, more than anything in the world.

"Happy Christmas, Jack."

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope to post the final two chapters by Friday. Yes, two chapters, because I like cliffhangers. Enjoy the holiday season!  
> PS. Like Ianto, I am no expert in the physics of time travel. I just like writing about it as best as I can.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

_Ianto wakes during the night, his neck stiff and sore. Jack is sleeping soundly beside him, so Ianto tries not to disturb him, fluffing his pillow in an attempt to get comfortable. But his neck continues to bother him, until he can't take it any longer and goes to the kitchen for a glass of water and some paracetamol. He idly rubs at a spot below his ear, remembering an odd feeling when Jack's future self had kissed him goodbye, but there's nothing there. He probably fell asleep in an awkward position, and the medicine should help him relax soon enough._

_Jack comes out then looking for him and drags him back to bed. And since they're both awake, they may as well make the most of their Christmas together…_

* * *

_Ianto stares at the screen before him, his eyes too blurry to see clearly. He wants to smash it, to grab it and throw it to the floor, kick it and burn it until there's nothing left but broken bits of metal and glass. But that won't bring Tosh back. Nothing can. She's gone, like Owen, lost to the disaster that was John Hart and Jack's brother. He'll never hear Tosh's laugh again, or Owen's caustic barbs. He'll never make her coffee, and Owen will never patch him up after another close call with Weevils. They're gone. Dead._

_He pushes his chair back and stands, fully intending to leave, to run as fast and as far as he can and find somewhere he can scream and cry, only he turns and walks right into Jack. The other man looks startled and grabs Ianto by the arms._

_"Steady!" he exclaims. "You all right?"_

_"I'm fine," Ianto replies stiffly. He needs to get away, to be alone, before he falls apart right there. Jack clearly doesn't believe him, however._

_"Right," he says. He glances behind Ianto at the computer and sighs. "How many times have you watched it?" he asks softly._

_"Not enough," Ianto replies. "And too many."_

_"She's gone," Jack says. "You can't keep putting yourself through this."_

_"It's all we have left of her," Ianto replies._

_"No, we have much more than that," Jack says, shaking his head. "We have our memories, all her brilliant work, the ridiculous pictures Gwen's taken of the team, the—"_

_"It's not enough," snaps Ianto. "I don't want pictures and memories. I want Tosh and Owen back, here in this room, giving me a hard time because I can't get over losing them."_

_"Yes, you can," Jack insists, and Ianto shakes his head._

_"You said something that night, when your future self came back. Or he did, and you will. 'Whatever happens, it will always get better. Even at the end.' This is the end, Jack, and I don't see how it can possibly get better."_

_Jack pulls him into an embrace. "And don't tell me the end is where we start from," Ianto mumbles into Jack's shoulder, refusing to break down but wondering how long he can hold it in. "I don't want sentimental platitudes anymore. I want the truth."_

_Jack steps back, his hands are still on Ianto, caressing and comforting. "Fine. The truth is that this sucks. It hurts like hell and every damn day it's a chore to get up and keep going, because I miss them like mad and I'm terrified I'm going to lose you and Gwen too. But it's what we have to do, so don't freak out on me, Ianto Jones. Don't give up. I need you."_

_Ianto's eyes fall shut and a tear slips out. "I'm sorry," he whispers._

_"Don't be," Jack replies, pulling him into an embrace once more. "Just don't leave me."_

_Ianto wishes he could promise he'll stay forever, but he knows his time with Torchwood is short. Just like Tosh and Owen's._

* * *

_The phone rings, and Ianto waits nervously, still trying to frame his words when there is a voice on the other line._

_"Oh. Hello? Stella Courtney. This had better be good."_

_Ianto takes a deep breath. "Professor Courtney, my name is Ianto Jones. We have a mutual, er ... friend. Jack Harkness."_

_There is a pause. "Jack Harkness. My God, I haven't heard that name in years." She sounds genuinely surprised._

_"I'm sorry to ring you like this," Ianto replies. "I know it's late." Yet she was the best person he could think of to turn to after calling Martha Jones and finding her on assignment. An offhand reference from months before, an old girlfriend of Jack's from decades earlier. Hopefully her expertise could help them._

_"It's two in the morning. You call me about Jack, after thirty years. Is something wrong?"_

_Ianto swallows, hating his next words, words he never thought he'd speak. "He's dying." Ianto knows this isn't exactly true, since he met Jack's future self, but the thought of Jack being in a coma for years, if not decades, is almost worse than the thought of him dying._

_There is a pause on the other end of the line. "How did you get my name, my number?"_

_And won't that be interesting to explain…_

* * *

_"He'll be back," Gwen tells him. They're sitting side by side on the sofa, staring at the mess around them. The Earth is back in orbit around the sun, the Hub is relatively intact if shaken up, and there is a dead Dalek on their doorstep. All in a day's work, Ianto thinks with a slightly hysterical edge. Only one thing is missing._

_"He said he'd be back," she repeats, as if trying to convince herself. Ianto is too tired to contemplate a response. He wants to believe that Jack will come back to them, but he also knows it could be months or even years from now, given that he's gone off with the Doctor again. Granted, at least this time they had known he was leaving them to save the world. He'd given Ianto a hell of a goodbye kiss and promised to come back, but it still doesn't erase the facts: Jack is back among the stars, and from the looks of it on the computer feeds, he's surrounded by a lot of beautiful and heroic people._

_Why in the world would he come back to the mess that is Cardiff, Torchwood, and Ianto Jones?_

_"He came back for you before." Gwen is still talking, and sounding desperate. "He'll come back again. He loves you, Ianto. You know that."_

_"Gwen, stop talking," he tells her. He feels bad when he sees the hurt look on her face and puts his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "I'm sorry. It's just that…I want to believe he'll come back, and a part of me does, but sometimes I wonder why he'd bother. What can we offer here, compared to all of space-time? And even if he does come back, it might not be for months, like last time, and I don't think I could do that again…"_

_He trails off with a sigh. He knows he couldn't. If Jack's left them to go traveling again, Ianto can't keep waiting for him, not knowing when or even if he'll come back. It'll break him this time. And it's not fair, when his life is guaranteed to be shorter by association with Torchwood. They barely escaped the Daleks, and he's already regretting all the things he hasn't done, things he's never said._

_"I'm sorry," she whispers, and he swallows hard, refusing to break down. They have work to do, starting with Tosh's brilliant timelock. Jack will be back, someday, and Torchwood needs to be ready._

* * *

_"I've got to go," says Jack. "I won't be long._ _"_

_Ianto sighs to himself before turning around. It was an ongoing issue for them, the way they both shut down when vulnerable and kept their secrets close. He knew he was just as guilty as Jack sometimes, though he tried to be more open now, telling Jack as much as he could. Yet he didn't have Jack's history, and sometimes it was hard dating an immortal with a penchant for being tight-lipped. "You're doing it again. Speak to me, Jack. Where are you going?_ _"_

_"To call Frobisher," Jack responds, beginning to sound angry. "I can't call him from here, because they'd be able to trace it. Is that okay?"_

_Ianto bites back his instinctive response to snap. "You're the boss," he replies instead, his voice flat._

_"And just so you know, I have a daughter called Alice and a grandson called Steven, and Frobisher took them hostage yesterday."_

_He turns to leave, and Ianto watches him go. So this is it. This is how Jack finally shares this part of himself, with anger and frustration instead of openness and trust. Ianto feels his own resentment growing, but stamps it down. This is not about him, not about them. This is about the entire world and millions of children, including Jack's grandson._

_"I know," he says softly as Jack walks away. Jack pauses, but does not turn around. He leaves, and Ianto is left behind once more, remembering when he'd met the man who had lost his daughter, and wondering what will happen if Jack loses his grandson._

* * *

_This is not how Ianto thought he would die, slow and painful as the world ends around him. He'd have preferred to go out quick, in a blaze of heroic glory. This slow poisoning gives him too much time to think about it. "Don't forget me," he murmurs._

_"Never could," says Jack. He looks upset, but then, he's probably been poisoned as well._

_Ianto isn't sure whether to believe him anyway, not after all they've been through since the children stopped. So many secrets. "A thousand year's time, you won't remember me." Why would he? If he cared, he'd have shared so much more with Ianto—the 456, his family, his bloody feelings._

_"Yes, I will. I promise. I will." Jack is crying. He must be upset. Then again, Ianto is dying in his arms, and whether or not Jack loves him, watching someone die as you hold them is probably hard._

_"Ianto. Ianto? Don't go. Don't leave me, please. Please don't."_

_In spite of all their struggles, Ianto remembers the good times he had with Jack and wishes he didn't have to leave. Jack may not remember him in a thousand years, but he will be upset when he revives, and more than anything, Jack will need to continue on, to protect the children. How can he do that when he's mourning another teammate?_

_"You will die," the 456 intones over the speakers, "and tomorrow your people will deliver the children."_

_Jack kisses him one last time, and for some reason Ianto remembers something from months ago, when Jack's future self had kissed him goodbye and whispered in his ear that he would see him soon. Only Ianto never saw that Jack again. He wonders what it meant, but decides it doesn't matter, because he also remembers how that Jack had seemed hopeful. Content._

_Ianto slips into the darkness at peace, knowing that however hard life will be for Jack when he revives, one day in the future, he will be okay, and he will save the universe._

* * *

Ianto wakes slowly, surrounded by warmth. He is lying in a bed, alone and piled with blankets. Hazy images float across his mind's eye, images of death and destruction, pain and heartbreak. He's not sure what happened or where he is, and only reluctantly opens his eyes to take in his surroundings.

The soft white lights of a Christmas tree illuminate an otherwise dark room. He stares at it, trying to remember what day it is, but the last he remembers is a crisp fall day in London. As his eyes adjust, he sees that he's in some sort of bedroom, large and comfortable, very modern. A hotel, or an exceptionally posh hospital, perhaps. He vaguely remembers being sick and unable to breathe.

There is a door opposite the bed, and Ianto can hear water running. A bathroom of some sort, then, and less likely that he's in hospital given that someone is apparently using the shower. Still confused, Ianto slowly sits up, letting a spell of dizziness pass before lifting his legs over the side of the bed. He feels tired, weak, and hungry; his neck is particularly sore.

Fortunately he's wearing comfortable pants and a warm shirt; still, he grabs the top blanket and wraps it around his shoulders as he walks throughout the room, trying to figure out where he is and how he got there. He finds himself standing before the Christmas tree, where he finally recognizes something laying on the nearby table.

A stopwatch. A very familiar, well-used stopwatch.

Turning around, Ianto gazes wildly around the room, searching for other clues, because surely that's not right, that's not _his_ stopwatch, the one he and Jack used, because that would mean—

"Hello, Ianto," says a voice behind him, and Ianto whirls toward the bathroom, surprised and yet not surprised to see Jack standing there in a towel, rubbing his hair dry with a second smaller towel. He's fresh-shaven and looks the same as he always has, only his hair is shorter and his eyes are sadder.

"Jack?" Ianto whispers, stepping backward for some reason. He needs to sit before his legs give out, so he lets himself fall back to the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, more for security than warmth. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Because he's starting to remember. He had died. And now he was alive.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't a big surprise, as I did set it up in the last chapter! I hope to post the final chapter on Friday, but because I like to post on even numbered days and have a big party to get ready for, it will probably be Sunday. Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

8.

Ianto is trying not to panic and on the verge of failing.

"You're safe," Jack tells him. "We're in a hotel of sorts, though for the most noble of reasons, unfortunately." He shakes his head with a small smile and ducks away, pulling clothes from a nearby wardrobe.

"Why?" Ianto asks automatically. "What about my flat, or your bunker?" It comes back to him in a sudden flash—an explosion, frantic running, a desperate rescue. "No, the Hub was destroyed. Jack, they tried to kill us! What's going on?"

Jack pulls on pants and trousers and begins to button a shirt before replying. "What do you remember?"

"I remember the children stopping," Ianto replies slowly, trying to sort through the sudden influx of memories crashing into him. "I remember the Hub exploding. And I remember…" He swallows and meets Jack's eyes. "I remember dying. In London."

"Only you didn't," says Jack. "Not quite. Just mostly."

"Just mostly?" Ianto asks. "How does someone not quite die?"

Jack gazes placidly at him but does not answer. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but not enough to ignore the fact that you're not telling me something important here." Ianto feels the fluttering of panic in his chest again, that something is definitely wrong, and Jack is keeping secrets again. He's in a hotel room with Jack, who hasn't tried it on once in five minutes, and as he looks around again, he is struck once more by how modern it is—too modern. He barely recognizes some things; Jack clothes, too, are a different cut.

"What year is it?" he asks as the answer occurs to him. Jack touches the side of his nose with a wink, and Ianto sort of wants to punch him in the face for avoiding the question. Because instead of answering, Jack goes to a flat panel in a nearby wall and hits the screen a number of times before turning back to Ianto.

"Breakfast is on the way," he says. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" He motions to a spot on the bed next to Ianto, who laughs with the brittle hint of hysteria.

"It's your room," he says. "Did we…you know…share the bed?"

"You've been asleep for almost twenty hours," says Jack, "so yes, I needed some sleep too and shared the bed. Don't worry, I kept my hands to myself." He sits down next to Ianto and reaches for his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Tired, weak, kind of stiff and unsure," Ianto replies. "But mostly confused. What's going on, Jack? I know this isn't the year I remember."

Jack nods. "You remember 2009."

"How long has it been?" Ianto asks, almost dreading the answer.

Jack smiles sadly before he stands and walks over to the table. He picks up the stopwatch, presses the button a few times before returning to the bed and handing it to Ianto. "Too long," he replies softy.

Ianto clutches the stopwatch, the only connection to reality he feels like he has at that moment. He's in a strange place, out of his time, with a man who could be centuries older than the man he remembers. The stopwatch is grounding, and he holds it tight as he reaches for Jack's hand and pulls him down to sit beside him again.

"How long?"

Jack's eyes seem to study him, as if remembering every inch of his face and trying to memorize it for next time.

"A thousand years, give or take a few."

A slightly hysterical huff escapes Ianto, and he shakes his head, refusing to give in to panic or tears. It's ridiculous, impossible. It must be a dream, born from those final moments of life as his body fails and his brain shuts down. Jack squeezes his hand as if he understands,and perhaps he does.

"I remember saying that…in a thousand years, you wouldn't remember me…and yet now, I'm here, a thousand years in the future with you?" Ianto shakes his head. "How am I supposed to believe that? It doesn't make sense, even for Torchwood, and especially for us."

Jack frowns. "What do you mean, especially for us?"

Ianto can't take it anymore, and even with so little energy, he feels the need to pace off his agitation. "A thousand years, Jack! You shouldn't be here with me, you shouldn't even remember me! You should be somewhere else, _anywhere_ else, living your life, happy and fulfilled! Not…not this," he finishes lamely, waving his arm around the room.

"You have no idea what's really going on, do you?" Jack asks from the bed.

"I usually don't," Ianto grumbles. "What I do know is that I believed in you, stood by you, and proudly walked into Thames House by your side, knowing I might die, and when I did…because I did die, Jack, I know I did…I died knowing that someday, in the future, you would be okay. Because I met that man. A man who was protecting the galaxy, who told me it was hard but that it was about to get better, that he—"

His knees buckle beneath him and he crumples to the floor. "Oh god. It was _you_."

Jack is there immediately, wrapping his arms around him, pulling him tight. Ianto struggles against it and Jack lets him go, the look on his face heartbreaking. But Ianto has to understand first before he can let go of his anger. "What did you do?"

Jack looks both guilty and defiant at the same time, a look Ianto knows well. He sits back on the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I went back for you," he says. "To save you."

"To save me—Jack! You can't change the past!" Ianto is shocked.

"I didn't," Jack replies. "I mean, I might have broken a few rules, but the universe can deal with it. It'll snap back."

"Until a paradox destroys all of reality!" Ianto exclaims. Full blown panic is about to set in, but he forces it back, needing the whole story first before he rails at Jack for what he's done. "Jack, I'm one person, one man, one…well, one lover of hundreds, I'm sure. Please tell me you didn't destroy space-time for me."

"For you, I would," Jack replies evenly, and he clearly means it. "But I didn't have to. I know what I'm doing, especially after a thousand years. And I've had time to prepare. There's no damage to the continuum. My reputation, on the other hand…"

"What about it?" Ianto demands. "Are you in trouble, is that it?"

"Most likely," Jack replies, running a sheepish hand through his short hair, as if a thousand years hadn't broken him of the habit. There is a ding from the computer screen on the wall and a nearby compartment opens to reveal two trays of what must be their breakfast. It smells delicious, whatever it is.

Jack gets up and takes the trays to the small table by the Christmas tree. He then walks back over to where Ianto is still sitting on the floor in his blanket and helps him up. "Come have something to eat and I'll explain everything."

Ianto snorts. "A thousand years finally gets you to open up?" he asks, and Jack grins crookedly.

"Anything for you," he says, guiding Ianto to the table. Most of the food looks vaguely familiar, though Ianto is well aware that what appears to be a chicken egg is probably anything but. Still, he's hungry, and it's a good distraction. He remembers another Christmas with Jack, his last one, and waking up to Jack cooking breakfast. He frowns, glances at his plate, back up at Jack.

"Christmas breakfast," he says, setting down his fork because his hands are shaking. "You remembered that Christmas breakfast."

"It was a good Christmas," Jack murmurs, concentrating too hard on his plate. "Our only Christmas." Ianto sits back, feeling like he should be able to figure it out, but the pieces of the puzzle still aren't fitting together yet.

"Jack," he says softly. "Please tell me what's going on. Before I freak out."

Jack sighs and sets down his fork as well, takes a sip of juice. He seems to be gathering his thoughts, but the first thing he says is the last thing Ianto expects.

"Don't be mad at me."

Ianto doesn't want to be angry at Jack for whatever he's done, but now he's more than worried, he's frightened. "I can't promise that, but I will try. Please tell me."

"Do you remember that Christmas? When you met my past self and my future self?" Jack begins, and Ianto nods. For him, it was his most recent holiday, only nine months earlier. Jack continues, avoiding Ianto's eyes, staring into the distance as if gazing back into history.

"I went back to take my past self to his own time, to avoid a massive tear in reality," Jack says, and Ianto nods, because he remembers. He'll never forget it, meeting both Jack's past self from thirty years earlier, as well as Jack's future self, where he'd apparently reintroduced coffee to the entire galaxy. Which reminded Ianto that he had none, but he didn't say anything.

"I went back because I remembered meeting my future self, so I had to close the time loop. But I went back for other reasons, too." He swallows, and Ianto leans forward.

"You said you wanted to see me, but that's not all, is it?" he asks, and Jack has tears in his eyes now.

"I wanted to save you," he says. "It was the perfect opportunity. The Doctor fixed my wrist strap so I could take my past self back to his own time. But with a working wrist strap, I could save you, too."

Again, Ianto feels the answers just out of reach. He closes his eyes, trying to let his mind make the connections. He takes a deep breath, stretches his neck…his neck…

With a gasp, his eyes fly open. He rubs at his neck and stares at Jack. "What did you do to me?" he demands. "What did you put in me?"

Jack actually looks scared, and Ianto reminds himself not to get angry, not to jump to conclusions. "Tell me, Jack. Now."

"Nanogenes," Jack whispers, his eyes slipping closed. "I injected you with nanogenes."

Once again it's not what Ianto was expecting. At all. Because he knows about nanogenes, what they can do and can't do. He saw them at Torchwood One.

"Nanogenes don't usually bring the dead back to life," Ianto says.

"You didn't die," Jack replies. Ianto picks up his fork and stabs what looks like ham.

"Just mostly died," he says. "So they, what? Kept me alive?"

"Yes," says Jack. "They did."

"And then you what? You brought me here, a thousand years in the future? What about my family? What about Gwen? My god," he says, dropping his fork. "What about you—your past self?"

Jack blows out a long breath. "I couldn't change the past, especially _my_ past. Everyone thinks you're dead, even me."

"No," Ianto whispers, shaking his head. "No, you can't do that! You can't let them think I'm dead when I'm sitting in a hotel in the 31st century eating breakfast!"

"I can't take you back," Jack starts, but Ianto interrupts him.

"If that wrist strap of yours works now, you damn well can!" He stands to pace again. "Christ, Jack! What were you thinking?"

"If you'd sit down and eat something, I'll tell you." Jack sounds calmer than he should, but Ianto can see that he's still very worried about Ianto's reaction. As he should be. Reluctantly, Ianto sits down and picks at his food.

"After Thames House, things got bad, really bad. And eventually, I left."

"Left what? Torchwood?" Ianto asks.

"I left Earth." Jack sits back, once again gazing into the past. "We stopped them, the 456, but it cost me everything. My grandson died…I killed him, to save the world…and my daughter never talked to me again. The government turned against us, Gwen went into hiding with Rhys. I had nothing, absolutely nothing. So I left."

Ianto doesn't know what to say, so he offers the only words he can. "I'm sorry."

Jack shakes his head, a sad look on his face. "It's not your fault. It's all mine, from the moment it started. So I wandered the galaxy for a while, though I was always drawn back to Earth. Each time was a bitter reminder of what I'd lost. It was my home for over a century, but I couldn't bear being back, so eventually I stopped going. Life continued." He shrugs. "Decades, centuries. I started working with a few others I'd met over the years on temporal issues, trying to maintain the timeline. I was sitting in a café on Canephora a few years ago, waiting to meet with Professor Song, and they served me something like coffee. Only it was terrible. Really, truly awful." He smiles at the memory.

"I admit I hadn't thought about you for years, but that awful coffee got me thinking about you again. And I realized I hadn't had good coffee for _centuries_ ," Jack says. "I set out to find some, and I couldn't. So I decided to start my own coffee farm, and within a year I had a healthy business going." He pauses. "I'm quite possibly the wealthiest man in the galaxy right now."

"A thousand years' investing? I should hope so," says Ianto. Jack laughs.

"It makes things easier, that's for sure. But being able to drink coffee again was hard…I thought about you every day, and missed you all over again. Several months ago the Doctor contacted me about a developing temporal anomaly centered on Earth. We did some investigating and pinpointed it to 2008, which was when I realized it was me—my past self getting pulled into the future on Christmas Eve. Someone had to go back and get him to his own time, and since I remembered meeting my future self, it had to be me. But I also volunteered because I knew I could see you again, and save you this time. All I needed were the right kind of nanogenes."

"Which you injected in my neck when you kissed me that night," Ianto says. "I was sore for days."

"The nanogenes were learning about you, working their way into your system," Jack tells him.

"And they what? Kept me from dying at Thames House?"

Jack nods. "They not only kept you from dying at Thames House, they put you into a sort of suspended animation, so that you still appeared dead."

"Bollocks," Ianto says, spearing a potato. "Why didn't they work earlier? All those times I hurt my shoulder, when I was a woman, the virus, all of it? Why didn't they heal me then?"

"Because they weren't programmed to work until the day the 456 arrived," Jack replies.

"Then why didn't Owen ever find them?" Ianto demands. "He should have picked them up on a scan at some point."

"They have a built in perception filter. They're more advanced that anything you might have seen at Torchwood One, Ianto. They're from a thousand years in the future, and they're amazing. They kept you alive and in suspended animation. Yesterday I went to your funeral and before they buried you, I teleported here."

Now Ianto's going to lose it. "You stole my body from my own casket?" he shouts, backing away from the table. "Of all the sick and twisted things…" He stumbles, still weak, but Jack is there to support him, guide him back to the bed. Where he lays Ianto down and curls up next to him.

"It's not like that," Jack starts, then pauses. "Well, it is, in a way, but I told you: I had to maintain the timeline. According to history, you died in Thames House. I left the planet. I couldn't change the past to save you then. I had to wait until now."

"Now being one thousand years after everyone I've ever known has lived and died," Ianto murmurs, trying to grasp the enormity of it. He is alive, but he will never see his sister again, Gwen, Martha, his elderly neighbor. Jack sighs.

"Except for me," he says softly. "I'm still here."

Ianto turns over to face Jack. "You're still here, and you did all that for me." Jack nods. "Why?"

"Because I love you," Jack replies with no hesitation, and Ianto feels his heart skip a beat and his stomach clench at the same time. "I couldn't say it then, not because I didn't feel it, but because I didn't want to accept that I was losing you."

"And now?" Ianto asks. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty?"

"No," Jack replies, shaking his head firmly. "I loved you then, and I love you now. I don't think I ever really stopped, because the minute I saw you again, in your flat at Christmas, it all came rushing back."

"Is that what you meant when you said things were going to get better?" Ianto asks, and Jack nods. "And when you said you'd see me soon, you…"

"I took my past self back to his own time, then teleported directly to your funeral. And we've been here since, recovering."

"Hiding," Ianto points out. "You said you're on the run."

Jack puts some distance between them, laying on his back and gazing at the ceiling. "They're trying to contact me, but they haven't managed it yet. You have a choice. I know you don't believe that, and you probably won't like it, but you do. I'm not sure how the people I work with are going to feel about what I did, and I'd rather avoid them for a while."

Ianto frowns. "And my choice in all this?"

Jack turns and props himself up on an elbow, gazing into Ianto's eyes, one hand reaching out to touch Ianto's face before he stops himself. "You can come with me, and I can show you the galaxy. Anything you want, we can see it. We can go anywhere, do anything…but covertly."

"On the lam," Ianto offers. Jack nods.

"Yes, for a while. Or I can take you to a colony planet. Earth is…" He hesitates, shakes his head. "Earth is not a good place, not right now. Most people have left due to solar flares, famine, invasion. But there are colonies everywhere, some of which are so much like Earth, like Wales, it'll make your heart break. You could start over there."

"But you wouldn't stay, would you?" Ianto asks. "You'd keep traveling."

Jack smiles crookedly. "I would do anything for you, but I can't settle down on a colony, not right now, and especially one with ties to my past. It's probably one of the first places they'll look for me."

"Who?" Ianto asks. "What are you so worried about? Did you change the past by bringing me forward?"

"I don't think so," Jack says. "But I also don't think they'd understand. They'd go back." He hangs his head. "Let you die."

"Oh." Ianto takes several deep breaths and starts thinking out loud. "You brought me here," he begins. "I don't know even know where I am right now, only a vague idea of when. I don't know anything about space, I hardly traveled on Earth. I can't do this alone, now that I'm here."

Jack looks hopeful. "I have so many questions, though," Ianto continues, his voice dropping. "I don't know that I'll ever understand why you would do this, risk so much—"

"Why did you bring Lisa Hallett into the Hub?" Jack interrupts.

"To save her," Ianto replies automatically. "I loved her. I didn't want to lose her."

"Then you understand perfectly," Jack replies. "And to be honest, now I do too, after all this time."

Ianto stares at him, the comparison too big to even begin to think about. He continues.

"I'm not sure how to trust you. When I died, I died thinking…well, thinking you didn't care about me, because it had been such a hard week, so much had gone wrong, and at the end…well. The less said about that the better." Jack looks crushed, but Ianto goes on. "You've had a thousand years to move past that time, that moment, but for me…for me it just happened."

Ianto knows it's his insecurities as much as anything that prompts his speech, but his instinct for self-preservation overrules his almost desperate desire to believe it's real. He can't accept Jack's words on blind faith after what they went through with the 456; he needs more than simple reassurance, that Jack means what he says, and more importantly, that he'll stay with Ianto in this strange new world. That he won't give up, leave, and abandon Ianto a thousand years in the future, alone with no one. If Ianto had been afraid of losing Jack on Earth, it's nothing compared to the even worse fear of losing Jack in space, in part because Jack is his only connection to anything remotely familiar.

"I understand," Jack says quietly, and Ianto laughs.

"I doubt it. Unless dead people leap centuries into the future all the time."

"Not that I know of," Jack replies. "You're unique, but then, you always were. Special. And I'm sorry I didn't say it enough back then. It's one of my biggest regrets." He takes a deep breath. "But I've had a thousand years to think about all the things I've done wrong, especially when it comes to relationships. You helped open my eyes, in a way. You were the first person I'd let in for a long time, and you reminded me that I could. And though it was so, so hard, I learned from it and tried not to make the same mistakes again. So now it's time for me to do it right with you." He takes Ianto's hand. "A second chance, if you'll let me."

Ianto still hesitates. "You're not trying to settle your conscience, are you? Give yourself that second chance so you don't spend another thousand years regretting it? I'm sure not I can live knowing I'm little more than convenient repentance. "

Jack shakes his head. "No, I settled with my conscience years ago, when I swore not to hurt those I loved ever again. I made a promise to myself, a vow in your memory, that I would not be that man anymore. And for the most part, I've stayed true to my word. I'd like to show you." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "Whatever it takes, Ianto. Whatever you want, whatever I can do…I will do it. In some ways, I already have."

"Going back for me," Ianto says, understanding immediately. "Twice."

They are silent for a long moment. Jack looks nervous and avoids Ianto's eye. Ianto is still confused, though he's starting to come around. The idea of traveling with Jack is immensely appealing, and Ianto wants to believe that this can be _his_ second chance as well—a second chance for a life outside Torchwood. Never mind that he'll be running, hiding, sneaking around, avoiding whoever these mysterious people are who help police the timestream with Jack; he'll be in space, amongst the stars. Though he'd not had all that much interest in leaving Earth before, he suspects now that he's out there it's probably pretty damn amazing. Suddenly curious, he stands up and goes to a nearby window and pulls aside the curtain.

It is light outside, though the light is not the same tint as he's used to from Cardiff. The sky is a slightly different shade of blue, and the clouds…well, those are definitely not Welsh clouds. Too pink. His eye is drawn first to mountains in the distance, so huge he can't imagine anything like them on Earth. And then he pulls his gaze closer, and sees the city, and though a part of him feels weak at the knees again, another part of him steps forward, placing his hands against the window, staring in wonder.

It is every science-fiction fan's dream, and every scientist's futuristic cliché: gleaming white buildings, sleek lines, flying cars, everything he'd expect the future to be. It is beautiful and amazing and terrifying all at once, and something springs to life within him, a burning curiosity and strong desire to be out there, walking amongst those buildings and the hundreds of alien beings he knows are living and breathing beside one another. It is a wanderlust that he'd noticed at times in the past and then always set aside, but as he gazes out at the alien world before him, he knows he can't ignore it any longer. Exploring new worlds, experiencing new cultures, tasting new foods, learning new technologies. And with Jack to guide him, it would be amazing.

Of course, it's incredibly intimidating as well. He knows so little about his own time, and now a thousand years have gone by. He already feels tiny and insignificant compared to Jack's vast knowledge and experience, and there is no doubt he'll be constantly running into reminders of Jack's past, possibly even former lovers. Yet Ianto is the one who is there, with Jack, a thousand years after his death. That has to mean something, doesn't it? He can learn what he needs to learn to survive in this strange new world; he is well experienced at adapting, after all.

The call to adventure overrules the more logical voice in his head still advising caution. Jack saved him to have a second chance together, why shouldn't Ianto take him up on his offer? Their entire relationship has been a constant push and pull between opposites: love and hate, personal and professional, life and death. They've rarely acknowledged yet alone talked about a future together; any wants and desires were constantly set aside in favor of accepting what they had and living in the moment. Now Ianto has a real future to look toward, with Jack and without complications from the Rift, of aliens, of work, of—

Ianto whirls around as something occurs to him. "The nanogenes," he says. "Do you control them?"

Jack stands and joins him at the window. "Yes," he says.

"And now that they're on, they'll fix other injuries? If I break my arm, they'll repair it?"

Jack nods slowly. "Yes," he says. "Although there are limits."

"They stopped an alien virus and put me into suspended animation," Ianto points out. "What don't they do?"

Jack takes his hands as they stand in front of the window. "They won't stop you aging completely," he says.

"Oh," says Ianto, the implication hitting him immediately. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to be immortal, not exactly, given he knows the toll it's taken on Jack. Yet the thought of sticking around a bit longer had crossed his mind.

"They were designed to heal injuries, invaders. Aging is a natural process they don't recognize as foreign," Jack says. He sounds incredibly sad. "They'll keep you safe, though, and healthy, and in this time people live much longer than humans did a thousand years ago."

"So any second chance is at least guaranteed to be longer than the first?" Ianto suggests, and Jack nods with a sad laugh.

"Yeah," he says, his voice breaking.

"And can you turn them off?" Ianto asks. "When I'm ready?" Jack's eyes widen, but he nods. "Will you, when I ask?"

Jack swallows hard. "Yes," he whispers. "When it's time, yes. Does that mean…" He trails off, as if afraid to ask. Ianto steps back and turns toward the windows again.

"I'd like to see what's out there," Ianto tells him. "With you. It's not something I ever expected to see, but now that I have, I want to see more. I suppose I've heard so many stories from my boss, I'd like to find out for myself if any of them are true."

Jack steps up behind him, gazing out the window as well. Ianto stares into his eyes in the reflection on the window.

"Promise me you won't leave, though, Jack. I can't do this if I'm going to end up lost and alone a thousand years out of my time, with nothing and no one to turn to. I can't imagine anything more—"

Jack turns him around and kisses him fiercely. Ianto is transported back to their last Christmas together, when this very man—Jack's future self—had kissed him with the same passion. If Ianto had any doubts before, they are pushed aside by the sheer volume of emotion he can feel almost pouring from Jack as they stand before the window, snogging like teenagers. Grief and sorrow and desperation, but so much hope and love that it's overwhelming. He kisses Jack back like he's never done before, and something clicks. This is right. This is where he's supposed to be, at Jack's side for a little while longer.

Jack is the one to break away first, and to Ianto's surprise Jack's eyes are wet with tears. He reaches up to brush one away and Jack laughs; for a moment, Ianto is worried he's about to be spun around in the air, but Jack pulls him close instead. "I promise," he says, his voice breaking as it had earlier. "Thank you."

Ianto huffs out a laugh. "I suppose I should be thanking you, for bending the rules of space-time to save my life."

"I'd do it again, for this moment," Jack replies. "Because I love you, and I can't wait to show you the universe."

They gaze out at the city once more, and a feeling of contentment settles over Ianto. He's also hungry and a little bit interested in some more kissing, but one question comes to mind above all others.

"Is it actually Christmas here?" he asks, and Jack nods with a ridiculous smile.

"It is, for the humans living here, and I can't think of a better present," he murmurs, holding Ianto close enough to almost smother him.

"Oh, well," says Ianto, trying to leap from September to December in his own personal timeline, never mind the centuries in between. "I can think of a few things."

"Really?" asks Jack, then grins as he remembers. "I suppose there's quite a list."

Ianto nods very seriously. "Want to know what's on it?"

"Something involving the very large and comfortable bed?" Jack suggests, and Ianto pretends to consider it, even though that is his only thought now. He can't resist teasing Jack, however, not when it's been so long for the other man, and he'll have to get used to it again.

"I was thinking some of your new space coffee would be nice," he answers instead. The look on Jack's face is priceless. Ianto laughs, kisses him, and pulls him toward the bed. "But maybe that can wait."

Jack stops him before they topple over. "Are you sure about this?" he asks. "About me…about us? Here, now, in the future?"

"I'm sure," Ianto whispers. He is glad to be there with Jack, more than anything in the world, and is already looking forward to another future together. "Happy Christmas, Jack."

"Happy Christmas, Ianto."

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! And Jack and Ianto live happily ever after, traveling the galaxy as they avoid getting caught. There's really a lot of potential here for more, but none of it is as good, and I have many, many other stories to write. So for now, we leave them to explore. I hope you enjoyed this story. I truly appreciate all the comments and kudos. Happy holidays, dear readers.


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